Should the Pens consider dealing Letang?

[Kasperi kapanen]

When was Duchene's last neck surgery or stroke? Those have to hurt Letang's trade value.

Stroke? Seriously? A stroke can occur at anytime for anyone so that's not really a good point. Neck surgery, that's a good point but it's not Letangs fault that Callahan boarded him...

 

[larueskee]

Letang's career earnings over his current and former contracts will be 72 million dollars. The guy just doesn't have the " need " to lay it all out every night now does he? Its up to the coach to protect the team and by playing him so much he is hurting the team. Until Letang decides to become a first pairing guy again he should be dropped down the depth chart. I know its tough for coaches to do when these guys make so much but its not fair to the guys getting the job done.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I will say that ok, maybe the team should give him more time, I'd say at the half way point of the season if he hasn't shown improvements, they should send him to a sports shrink. But keeping him right now, yeah, definitely.

I'll retract.

 

[mpp9]

If Karlsson or Doughty want to come here for way under market value. Sure.

Otherwise, no.

 

[Rufus]

They can't and shouldn't trade Letang. They still don't have someone who could replace all the minutes he plays (although the minutes he plays right now are mostly not good). It would be really great for them to pick up another D-man to insulate him a bit. I don't know who that is though.

 

[edog37]

Because it's a fair question that's worth discussing, as it is for any player not named Crosby, and cassius laid out some decent pro's and con's to start us off with?

You don't trade known commodities just because they are having a few rough weeks. You do so because their contract makes it impossible to keep & you end up losing another vital component. Or you trade a young player who just hasn't panned out. Letang hasn't met either condition. Letang is more than capable of bouncing back & most likely will. Yes, we won a Cup without him last year, but you don't subtract a player of his caliber willingly unless you have good reason to do so.

 

[edog37]

Letang deal is likely a 1st, a prospect and a roster player.

There isn't any combination of that that is realistic and will improve our team.

Not to mention the fact that we would have to then go about replacing him. Which for what Letang brings on his good nights is costing at least a 1st, an excellent prospect, and a Rust / Sheary.

It would be tremendously stupid to trade Letang and this thread is stupid HF board overrection at its best.

Letang is the worst player on a team bleeding goals, lacking depth in both their defense (because of injury) and forward.

I also like the fact that for some reason Maatta and Dumo are both being ignored as issues. Dumo has 0 points and is a -9. Maatta has found his offensive has but has gotten worked on goals in the last three games.

I've always found HF board to be the voice of reason & a calm port inside the raging hurricane....

 

[chethejet]

A lot of the discussion has to take into account when does Sid and Geno really decline? I think they are so elite that may be a while. But say things start to slow and you have to begin the revamp based on the costs of paying a Letang or Kessel. Pens have the look of a franchise that everyone except Sid has a 4 or 5 year expiration date. Plus some have attractive salary structures that make them attractive. We all know or think we know the Pens will go through a rebuild at some point. Eventually the balls will hit the floor.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

A lot of the discussion has to take into account when does Sid and Geno really decline? I think they are so elite that may be a while. But say things start to slow and you have to begin the revamp based on the costs of paying a Letang or Kessel. Pens have the look of a franchise that everyone except Sid has a 4 or 5 year expiration date. Plus some have attractive salary structures that make them attractive. We all know or think we know the Pens will go through a rebuild at some point. Eventually the balls will hit the floor.

-That's obviously a good question. Zetterberg is 37 and still playing well.

 

[Peat]

A lot of the discussion has to take into account when does Sid and Geno really decline? I think they are so elite that may be a while. But say things start to slow and you have to begin the revamp based on the costs of paying a Letang or Kessel. Pens have the look of a franchise that everyone except Sid has a 4 or 5 year expiration date. Plus some have attractive salary structures that make them attractive. We all know or think we know the Pens will go through a rebuild at some point. Eventually the balls will hit the floor.

I think that's a possibility down the line. Maybe a probability. But... down the line.

 

[Gurglesons]

A lot of the discussion has to take into account when does Sid and Geno really decline? I think they are so elite that may be a while. But say things start to slow and you have to begin the revamp based on the costs of paying a Letang or Kessel. Pens have the look of a franchise that everyone except Sid has a 4 or 5 year expiration date. Plus some have attractive salary structures that make them attractive. We all know or think we know the Pens will go through a rebuild at some point. Eventually the balls will hit the floor.

So we should trade Letang to rebuild the roster of a back to back cup winner?

 

[Son Goku]

Truthfully I think losing Cullen has sucked the most. Bonino too yes but let's not act like he was great in the regular season. When we lost Cullen we lost more than a player.

 

[molon labe]

Truthfully I think losing Cullen has sucked the most. Bonino too yes but let's not act like he was great in the regular season. When we lost Cullen we lost more than a player.

Bonino did not bring much during his regular season stays here in Pitt - Cullen brought it every single shift like he was out there for the last time prior to retirement. Cullen is absolutely missed and we all knew that was coming... HE, specifically, was a luxury as a fourth line player. What made him appear so dominant was going against fourth liners like what we have now.
-------------
As for the topic at hand - I absolutely consider dealing Letang, but that's where things stop because those considerations are pretty unlikely. If we're getting Doughty somehow out of this then that's a maneuver I make all day. That's unlikely because he's going to command more than we can afford. If we can get another 2C + a serviceable D coming back then I consider what the team looks like with those players. His 7.5M cap hit is not as bad as we think sometimes, as other D in the league are making similar or more and truly weighing down their teams. Letang seems to fit whichever playing style the Pens show up with and that's not characteristic of many players in the NHL.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Doughty probably signs here for half market value just to get out of the Western Conference and away from Tkachuk.

 

[HandshakeLine]

You don't trade known commodities just because they are having a few rough weeks. You do so because their contract makes it impossible to keep & you end up losing another vital component. Or you trade a young player who just hasn't panned out. Letang hasn't met either condition. Letang is more than capable of bouncing back & most likely will. Yes, we won a Cup without him last year, but you don't subtract a player of his caliber willingly unless you have good reason to do so.

Sure, but then discuss why you think Letang is going to bounce back and why we won't ever need to trade him, maybe?

Look, I'm all for keeping Letang around for the foreseeable future, but acting like nobody can broach the question of trading him is some dumb shit. Letang WILL get traded or let go if he sticks around long enough, unless he retires for health reasons. Wouldn't it be better to discuss the possible timing, needs, and expectations of that beforehand?

 

[HandshakeLine]

It's so weird how this board had a professed "nobody save Sid and Geno are expendable" philosophy for so long that the new cool thing is "nobody is getting traded ever, so stop saying that word."

 

[Shady Machine]

Sure, but then discuss why you think Letang is going to bounce back and why we won't ever need to trade him, maybe?

Look, I'm all for keeping Letang around for the foreseeable future, but acting like nobody can broach the question of trading him is some dumb ****. Letang WILL get traded or let go if he sticks around long enough, unless he retires for health reasons. Wouldn't it be better to discuss the possible timing, needs, and expectations of that beforehand?

People can broach the question, but is there a reasonable solution out there? I think it's pretty obvious that we can't replace what Letang is supposed to be. I suppose if you totally believe he will never get to close to who he was, then maybe you move him before everyone else finds out the truth. The question is how would you be confident in that enough to pull the trigger on a trade?

The Pens are in win now mode for the next 3 years. Unless there's a stud NHL ready D prospect in the deal coming back, it will take 3-5 years to replace Letang. By the time that happens we are looking for the next Crosby and Malkin.

There is just no realistic deal out there that makes trading Letang make a lick of sense. If Derrick Pouliot was who he was supposed to be, then maybe this argument has some merit. Instead, he's playing 3rd pair on someone else's blue line and looks as meh as ever. The Pen's D prospect pool is as close to bare as possible. Now is just not the right time to trade him without also conceding that you probably won't be contending for a Cup again until you replace him.

 

[chethejet]

I made the point that any discussion starts with trading a core piece of the pens only and only if they have a like and kind player in the system or need to address a significant issue on the roster. But you never know the future so I would say he is not likely to go due to he still gives the Pens a opportunity to win another cup. MAF is still here if Murray doesn't come out of the blue.

 

[HandshakeLine]

People can broach the question, but is there a reasonable solution out there? I think it's pretty obvious that we can't replace what Letang is supposed to be. I suppose if you totally believe he will never get to close to who he was, then maybe you move him before everyone else finds out the truth. The question is how would you be confident in that enough to pull the trigger on a trade?

The Pens are in win now mode for the next 3 years. Unless there's a stud NHL ready D prospect in the deal coming back, it will take 3-5 years to replace Letang. By the time that happens we are looking for the next Crosby and Malkin.

There is just no realistic deal out there that makes trading Letang make a lick of sense. If Derrick Pouliot was who he was supposed to be, then maybe this argument has some merit.

I mean, you do that the same way you do any other trade. You gamble. There's no guarantee any trade will work out, just like there's no guarantee (as much as we pretend otherwise here) that Letang will actually make a recovery and bounce back to his all-star form. Neck surgeries are crazy things.

So, demanding some kind of surety in these trades is just silly. Nothing here is guaranteed, just like you can't estimate someone's production with Sid. You just have to gamble and hope it turns out for the best.

As to the 3 year window, that's a good point. But again, there's options. Letang was only 2 years into the league when he was significant part of a Cup-winning squad (which was, lest we forget, a pretty poorly rated defense overall), so the idea that we can't find someone to replace Letang is kind of weird. Hell, we did so this last season with our defense-by-committee. And again, we don't need a Letang replacement to be necessarily as good as Letang in the abstract either, or even necessarily just one player.

Hell, this franchise is full of stories of trading players that were way better than Letang in relation to their peers to win a Cup. If Paul Coffey was tradeable, why isn't Letang?

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I think moving Letang brings back a better return than some people seem to expect, and forces us to get away from building the blueline around a guy who misses as much time as Letang does and has such wildly inconsistent play.

Schultz might not be a cornerstone type, franchise d-man, but I don't think we necessarily need one to be successful either. A blueline by committee worked, even with dumpster fires like Streit and Hainsey, and guys playing well above their capability. Maatta was pretty godawful for long stretches, Cole was struggling in a more prominent role, Schultz was banged up, etc.

I just don't think Letang is as important to this team as many others do. You swap him out, hypothetically, for a guy like Trouba and I don't think we miss a beat really. Sure, on their best days Letang is much better than Trouba, but Letang's best days are few and far between, and he's been a lock for missing significant time his entire career. The guy's not doing anything to help us win games when he's playing awful hockey or in the press box. /shrug

No idea who I'd trade him to, I don't have a great pulse on other teams around the league, their assets/needs, etc. But I'd be shocked if we didn't get a pretty great return for him, and honestly, if JR found one, I'd hope he pulled the trigger. Again, just to reiterate, I am not advocating giving him away for scraps, but if we were to find a return of a good roster player, good prospect and a 1st, I'd seriously think about it depending on who the returning assets were.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

They can't and shouldn't trade Letang. They still don't have someone who could replace all the minutes he plays (although the minutes he plays right now are mostly not good). It would be really great for them to pick up another D-man to insulate him a bit. I don't know who that is though.

You shouldn't have to insulate a $7.25 million/year defenseman. Letang gets the minutes because that's what we pay him to do. If he isn't hacking it anymore with said minutes, adding someone to 'insulate' him does not maximize our roster. At all.

I think the biggest misconception that many on this board have is the notion that there is only ONE way to build a Cup winner. Or a repeat winner. Or a three-peat winner.

We have shown that we can win with or without Letang. And even though people constantly show lists of teams that won Cups with their definition of what a No. 1 defenseman is supposed to look like, it has also happened that teams have won Cups without one. As a matter of fact, OUR current GM has won TWO of his three Stanley Cups sans what most would define as a true No. 1 defenseman.

IF, and I am only speaking in hypotheticals here, if Letang were to be traded, the return would be pretty spectacular. Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris, two good players who have never won anything in this league, were just dealt for a king's ransom.

Sometimes, the job of an NHL GM is to get the pulse of the league, and know when to strike when the iron is HOT. If these are the new market values of NHLers on the trade block, maybe we should get on the horn A S A P.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

You shouldn't have to insulate a $7.25 million/year defenseman. Letang gets the minutes because that's what we pay him to do. If he isn't hacking it anymore with said minutes, adding someone to 'insulate' him does not maximize our roster. At all.

I think the biggest misconception that many on this board have is the notion that there is only ONE way to build a Cup winner. Or a repeat winner. Or a three-peat winner.

We have shown that we can win with or without Letang. And even though people constantly show lists of teams that won Cups with their definition of what a No. 1 defenseman is supposed to look like, it has also happened that teams have won Cups without one. As a matter of fact, OUR current GM has won TWO of his three Stanley Cups sans what most would define as a true No. 1 defenseman.

IF, and I am only speaking in hypotheticals here, if Letang were to be traded, the return would be pretty spectacular. Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris, two good players who have never won anything in this league, were just dealt for a king's ransom.

Sometimes, the job of an NHL GM is to get the pulse of the league, and know when to strike when the iron is HOT. If these are the new market values of NHLers on the trade block, maybe we should get on the horn A S A P.

-I still think our opening schedule of playing a league best 11 road games and 5 back to backs already is the result of the problem along with Niemi.

-Im no where near ready to even consider trading Letang until we play the next 16 games in our schedule. I smell a run coming from this team over the next month.

 

[Rufus]

You shouldn't have to insulate a $7.25 million/year defenseman. Letang gets the minutes because that's what we pay him to do. If he isn't hacking it anymore with said minutes, adding someone to 'insulate' him does not maximize our roster. At all.

I think the biggest misconception that many on this board have is the notion that there is only ONE way to build a Cup winner. Or a repeat winner. Or a three-peat winner.

We have shown that we can win with or without Letang. And even though people constantly show lists of teams that won Cups with their definition of what a No. 1 defenseman is supposed to look like, it has also happened that teams have won Cups without one. As a matter of fact, OUR current GM has won TWO of his three Stanley Cups sans what most would define as a true No. 1 defenseman.

IF, and I am only speaking in hypotheticals here, if Letang were to be traded, the return would be pretty spectacular. Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris, two good players who have never won anything in this league, were just dealt for a king's ransom.

Sometimes, the job of an NHL GM is to get the pulse of the league, and know when to strike when the iron is HOT. If these are the new market values of NHLers on the trade block, maybe we should get on the horn A S A P.

I think it's a misconception that Letang's value is high enough right now to justify trading him.

 

[Gurglesons]

I mean, you do that the same way you do any other trade. You gamble. There's no guarantee any trade will work out, just like there's no guarantee (as much as we pretend otherwise here) that Letang will actually make a recovery and bounce back to his all-star form. Neck surgeries are crazy things.

So, demanding some kind of surety in these trades is just silly. Nothing here is guaranteed, just like you can't estimate someone's production with Sid. You just have to gamble and hope it turns out for the best.

As to the 3 year window, that's a good point. But again, there's options. Letang was only 2 years into the league when he was significant part of a Cup-winning squad (which was, lest we forget, a pretty poorly rated defense overall), so the idea that we can't find someone to replace Letang is kind of weird. Hell, we did so this last season with our defense-by-committee. And again, we don't need a Letang replacement to be necessarily as good as Letang in the abstract either, or even necessarily just one player.

Hell, this franchise is full of stories of trading players that were way better than Letang in relation to their peers to win a Cup. If Paul Coffey was tradeable, why isn't Letang?

Letang isn't tradeable because we barely won the cup as it is and we've lost the two main components that let us use Crosby and Malkin as catalysts to win us every single series.

Letang isn't tradeable because your examples are of teams with young superstar players leading their teams to cups and as they age (as we can see this year) they aren't going to be catalysts to single handedly win us games.

Letang isn't tradeable because the only reason you move a piece like that is because you are consistently underperforming or hoping to shock the room. Our team needs neither of those. If the Pens go out in round one this year, we still have the next two years with this roster with minor adjustments.

If you move a defenseman right now, it is Maatta because he has the most value, is the most easily moveable, and is the least essential part of our blue line.

Not to mention if you move Letang you are basically setting up Justin Schultz to get paid 7 million in two years.

 

[ColePens]

If Justin Schultz continues to elevate his game like he did last year, then he deserves 7M from someone. He was a game changer on that PP. No discredit to #58. Schultz deserves a lot of credit for what he's done.