Will Letang sign/be offered an 8 year contract?

[sluice]

He's not worth 7 mil to our team in the near future IMO. You pay him that now if you have to, but his role on the team is going to be dramatically different if Shero's drafting has anything to do with it.

Letang >*Doughty.

Drew is much overrated since his 09-10 season.


I hope he wont sign for 7-8+ millions. But he has the rights ask for that kind of money. Hopefully they will all settle for under 7 millions.

If Letang is very comfortable in Pittsburgh, which I really think is the case.. he will accept less money to stay with the team a long time.

It should be very similar to the Karlsson deal.

 

[Malkin4Top6Wingerz]

And "salary won't be an issue because we're buying out Martin," in conjecture at it's finest. If Martin plays well this season, I can't see us buying him out, and his salary won't be gone until a young guy proves they can take over his role, which may be in a year...or it may be in 3. We don't know.

If Letang plays anything like he has over the past few years where he's been in Norris discussions when healthy, him and his agent laugh at the prospect of getting less than $6m a year. Frankly, Letang's camp ought to be insulted if that's Shero's opening offer.

And the best part is that I see some people saying "pay Letang 7 million!" and then out of the other side of their mouths say, "Geno should re-sign for 8.7!" Geno should theoretically re-sign for 10 million and some change, because that's what fair is for him.

I don't see why those two things contradict each other. Geno matched Sid's last contract and IIRC has made comments in the past indicating that he wouldn't feel comfortable making more than him, plus he's already being paid like one of the top players in the game. Letang isn't, but he deserves to be. Don't believe me? Just look at the highest paid defenseman in the league. How you could look at such a list and conclude that he doesn't deserve more than $6m is just asinine. I'd be ecstatic if he signed for close to $7m, and truth be told, he would get offers well north of that on the free agent market. He's that good, and his skillset that highly valued around the league.

 

[mpp9]

I think we have a fantastic group of defense prospects. But it's putting the cart way before the horse to start divvying up our current elite defender's special needs duties to a bunch of prospects who have about 20 games of NHL hockey between them.

I'm gonna go ahead and assume Despres, Morrow, Dumoulin, Harrington, Maatta and Pouliot don't all bust. Two of those players are upgrades on the PP. And the others are upgrades on the PK either by their sheer size and/or style of game.

Matter of opinion but if we pay Letang anything approaching market value, I don't see him finishing his contract here.

 

[Pick87your71Poison]

I'm gonna go ahead and assume Despres, Morrow, Dumoulin, Harrington, Maatta and Pouliot don't all bust. Two of those players are upgrades on the PP. And the others are upgrades on the PK either by their sheer size and/or style of game.

Matter of opinion but if we pay Letang anything approaching market value, I don't see him finishing his contract here.

Very well could be true, but will say (and I think you're agreeing) that makes little to no difference right now and it's still the right decision to sign him at that price now if that's what it takes.

 

[JTG]

If Letang plays anything like he has over the past few years where he's been in Norris discussions when healthy, him and his agent laugh at the prospect of getting less than $6m a year. Frankly, Letang's camp ought to be insulted if that's Shero's opening offer.

He can be in the discussion all he wants, fact is, he was never a Norris finalist, he hasn't won a Norris, and the guy who just did signed for a 6.5 million dollar cap hit for 7 years, where we can give Kris 8, which no other team can do. Edler is another decent comparable, and he just signed for 5 million.

I don't see why those two things contradict each other. Geno matched Sid's last contract and IIRC has made comments in the past indicating that he wouldn't feel comfortable making more than him, plus he's already being paid like one of the top players in the game. Letang isn't, but he deserves to be. Don't believe me? Just look at the highest paid defenseman in the league. How you could look at such a list and conclude that he doesn't deserve more than $6m is just asinine. I'd be ecstatic if he signed for close to $7m, and truth be told, he would get offers well north of that on the free agent market. He's that good, and his skillset that highly valued around the league.

They do, because if you take the "Geno should make what Sid makes" if you take the first 8 years of Sid's deal, he's making around 10 million per year.

 

[JTG]

I think any player can get picked apart to be a little better or worse than they really are. Chara and Weber are bombs on the PP rather than true PPQB's. That being said I think Letang has to find his nitch on the PP and become a better PP weapon.

I'm hoping he gets something around $5.75 long term but I would also toss out $5 for 3 years. The 3 year deal would be more about showcasing himself. If he wins a Norris or is up for 1 or 2 over that span then he gets $6.5. I would rather see the Pens give a proven star money rather than give him money and then hope.

Letang's niche is not as a PPQB, but as a Ryan Whitney, who is more of a rover and looks to get open for shots.

 

[triguno]

I don't post much but this thread has some crazy stuff being posted. There is maybe 5 or 6 guys who I would even consider better than Letang and that is not even considering his age compared to some of those guys. He will get almost anything he wants money wise either with the Pens or another team.

As for those who keep talking about being replaced with prospects on the pk and pp, keep dreaming. Maybe (a big one), he may see some time reduced on the pk eventually to soften his load. Not a single prospect is even near Letangs ability on the PP as of right now and won't be for years if ever.

You do everything possible to keep Crosby and Malkin. You do ALMOST everything possible to keep Letang. Just my opinion though.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'm gonna go ahead and assume Despres, Morrow, Dumoulin, Harrington, Maatta and Pouliot don't all bust. Two of those players are upgrades on the PP. And the others are upgrades on the PK either by their sheer size and/or style of game.

Matter of opinion but if we pay Letang anything approaching market value, I don't see him finishing his contract here.

Aren't you jumping the gun a bit? Two of those players are upgrades on the PP? None of them have even played an NHL regular season game yet, and already you're absolutely certain they're an upgrade?

They may have the *potential* to be an upgrade, but I really hope Shero doesn't bank on that as a guarantee until they actually prove it.

Imagine if Chicago had deemed Duncan Keith expendable because their former #3 choice overall Cam Barker had the potential to replace his minutes.

In any case, none of our defenseman have the overall package that Letang has. I know people are super high on them, but they're not elite prospects. They're good prospects with potential to play top pairing (if they max out). Letang IS a top pairing defenseman, and could be argued to be an elite defenseman.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

He can be in the discussion all he wants, fact is, he was never a Norris finalist, he hasn't won a Norris, and the guy who just did signed for a 6.5 million dollar cap hit for 7 years, where we can give Kris 8, which no other team can do. Edler is another decent comparable, and he just signed for 5 million.

Like I said JTG, it's funny how Norris voting only matters when we're comparing Letang to Karlsson, Weber, and Chara. The Norris references seems very cherry-picked.

Edler's a comparable? He didn't finish in the top 20 in Norris voting in '11 when Letang was 6th, and he finished 15th in '12 when Letang finished 9th...after playing only 51 games.

They do, because if you take the "Geno should make what Sid makes" if you take the first 8 years of Sid's deal, he's making around 10 million per year.

I think Geno would be justified in wanting that. Not that he will.

 

[PensPlz]

I pray he does.

Also, why has he never worn the A? If i see Craig Adams this season with the A over Letang again...

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I'm gonna go ahead and assume Despres, Morrow, Dumoulin, Harrington, Maatta and Pouliot don't all bust. Two of those players are upgrades on the PP. And the others are upgrades on the PK either by their sheer size and/or style of game.

Matter of opinion but if we pay Letang anything approaching market value, I don't see him finishing his contract here.

They are far, far too early in their development to even begin thinking about pushing Letang out.

Even if they do progress well and quickly, why is Letang the one who's pushed aside? We have a couple other older, well-paid defensemen on our roster who'd be made redundant a hell of a lot more easily.

Honestly, sometimes this place makes me wonder.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I just want to go on record and say not only would I pay Letang 7 mil per on a max contract, if we could clone him, I'd sign his clone to the same deal and trade whatever other defensemen I needed to in order to make it work.

 

[Human]

Letang will get a blank check almost a la Crosby/Malkin. imo, Shero is handcuffed this time.

 

[Til the End of Time]

i really think letang is overrated amongst pens fans and possibly the entire league, at least right now. his game is very unpolished compared to the other top d-men being talked about in this thread. half the time he looks like a HOFer, half the time his decision making is terrible. his game is more bipolar than what you want from a number one d-man.

i still question his overall hockey sense.

if he puts together a consistent season, then yeah he deserves that big money. but right now he's more style than substance.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

i really think letang is overrated amongst pens fans and possibly the entire league, at least right now. his game is very unpolished compared to the other top d-men being talked about in this thread. half the time he looks like a HOFer, half the time his decision making is terrible. his game is more bipolar than what you want from a number one d-man.

i still question his overall hockey sense.

if he puts together a consistent season, then yeah he deserves that big money. but right now he's more style than substance.

I'd say the opposite - Letang's results speak for themselves. People are just criticizing how he goes about achieving them.

I also think he was pretty damn consistent last year. There are some unrealistic ideas floating around here about the standard other elite defensemen play at on a nightly basis. There's a very good reason why he's finished so high in the Norris voting the past couple years, and it's not because his play is bi-polar.

 

[Dupree13]

I mentioned it before but his concussion problems last year are a lingering concern. I don't think he was quite the same when he came back from them. Looks great now though, knock on wood. If I were making this decision a fully healthy season this year would go a long way.

 

[mpp9]

They are far, far too early in their development to even begin thinking about pushing Letang out.

Even if they do progress well and quickly, why is Letang the one who's pushed aside? We have a couple other older, well-paid defensemen on our roster who'd be made redundant a hell of a lot more easily.

Honestly, sometimes this place makes me wonder.

We could bring in Gonchar tomorrow and he'd be an upgrade over Letang on the PP. Nothing wrong with admitting Letang isn't a true #1. Just like Neal isn't a PPG guy without Geno, Letang's production is largely due to the team in front of him.

And just as this organization turned Letang and Goligoski into top pairing guys. I'm confident morrow and pouliot will be the same. Both being upgrades over Letang on the PP.

We're not arguing signing or not signing Letang. That's a given.

 

[SidTheKid87]

I think it's funny how some people think Letang will get less than $6.5. That's the figure Shero starts with. He most likely gets $7-7.5. Not a true PP QB, but he's the one you want bringing the puck up the ice, not Sid or Geno. His transition game is off the charts & his skating is among the top 2 % of the league. When he's been healthy, he's only shown signs of being consistent and improving his overall game. He's a pest to play against in the defensive zone and has a quality of playing like he's full of pee and vinegar.

When Shero drafted Pouliot, he described him as "a future PP QB." I'm not sure how you throw that kind of pressure on him, but that won't happen for several years. Although I like what the D prospects look like right now, none of them have the skillset Letang brings. Tanger is a top pairing D man in the league and our No. 1 D man.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

We could bring in Gonchar tomorrow and he'd be an upgrade over Letang on the PP. Nothing wrong with admitting Letang isn't a true #1. Just like Neal isn't a PPG guy without Geno, Letang's production is largely due to the team in front of him.

And just as this organization turned Letang and Goligoski into top pairing guys. I'm confident morrow and pouliot will be the same. Both being upgrades over Letang on the PP.

We're not arguing signing or not signing Letang. That's a given.

Gonchar has probably been a top 3 PPQB over the last decade. Just because Letang isn't incredible on the PP doesn't mean that he isn't a #1 D. The standards that some people on here have to be a #1 defenseman exclude pretty much anyone who isn't a first-ballot HOFer.

 

[Malkin4Top6Wingerz]

He can be in the discussion all he wants, fact is, he was never a Norris finalist, he hasn't won a Norris, and the guy who just did signed for a 6.5 million dollar cap hit for 7 years, where we can give Kris 8, which no other team can do. Edler is another decent comparable, and he just signed for 5 million.

They are not decent comparables because those two were RFA's when they signed their deals. Letang is slated to be a UFA next year, which will increase his price tag considerably. Come on, this is basic stuff. It's the same reason why Neal just got $5m a year. Had he been an impending UFA he could have gotten upwards of $6-7m with ease.

They do, because if you take the "Geno should make what Sid makes" if you take the first 8 years of Sid's deal, he's making around 10 million per year.

As CW said, he certainly could ask to be compensated a bit more because of the way frontloading has been handled by the CBA, and he very well might. He also very well might not. If I were a betting man, I'd say he signs for $9m or less.

 

[JTG]

i really think letang is overrated amongst pens fans and possibly the entire league, at least right now. his game is very unpolished compared to the other top d-men being talked about in this thread. half the time he looks like a HOFer, half the time his decision making is terrible. his game is more bipolar than what you want from a number one d-man.

i still question his overall hockey sense.

if he puts together a consistent season, then yeah he deserves that big money. but right now he's more style than substance.

I personally agree. If you want to get 7 million dollars, he should be a legitimate PPQB, and he should be the first man on the ice for the PK.

As I've said before, I come to my conclusion because we will still need guys to play in those situations. He's just not simply good enough at either facet of the game yet. Yet being the key word...he may be some day.

I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him 7 million per season. 6.5, I could live with, even though I think he'd have to develop into something more than he is to warrant that kind of contract. I also don't believe you can look at comparables that much because some absolutely ridiculous contracts were dolled out, and a lot of the guys who are making that big money don't live up to those contracts.

I will even go as far as to say, Karlsson doesn't deserve his money yet. That was Ottawa taking a fan favorite and a guy who has a ton of hype and potential and giving him a ton of money.

The RFA thing is moot, IMO, as the 2nd contract has all but been abolished for good players. RFA's are getting paid like they are UFA's.

This isn't a knock on Letang, but merely me saying what I see him as. He's undoubtedly a top pairing defenseman, and he will get paid as such. Him around the 6 million dollar range will make him a top 10 paid defenseman in the league.

 

[KIRK]

Like I said JTG, it's funny how Norris voting only matters when we're comparing Letang to Karlsson, Weber, and Chara. The Norris references seems very cherry-picked.

Edler's a comparable? He didn't finish in the top 20 in Norris voting in '11 when Letang was 6th, and he finished 15th in '12 when Letang finished 9th...after playing only 51 games.



I think Geno would be justified in wanting that. Not that he will.

Edler is no more a comparable than Doughty. Edler got 5M. Doughty got 7M. I think the thinking here is that Letang falls probably around the middle. Ergo, around 8 years, 48M is what we're hoping he'd want IF he wanted to do the 'fair deal for a little below market'.

As for Geno, I also think he'd be justified in wanting the salary dollars Sid got (even though it means like a 10M cap hit). BUT, it would not necessarily stun me to see him take the 8.7M cap hit and have with the organization an understanding that they'd re-up him at 8.7M a year after that one expires if that's what he'd like. Not saying he'll do that. Not saying that I or anyone should expect it. Just saying I wouldn't be 100% surprised.

 

[JTG]

They are not decent comparables because those two were RFA's when they signed their deals. Letang is slated to be a UFA next year, which will increase his price tag considerably. Come on, this is basic stuff. It's the same reason why Neal just got $5m a year. Had he been an impending UFA he could have gotten upwards of $6-7m with ease.



As CW said, he certainly could ask to be compensated a bit more because of the way frontloading has been handled by the CBA, and he very well might. He also very well might not. If I were a betting man, I'd say he signs for $9m or less.

If Geno signs for 9 million or less with his cap hit, then he's an athlete that doesn't exist in sports today.

Letang is slated to become a UFA in 2014-15. He still has a year under his current deal.

Neal could have got upwards of 6 or 7 million dollars if he hit free agency, but he would have been silly to let that happen as a slew of things can happen over the course of a year.

Now if you were a player, you were playing for a perennial powerhouse team, you're getting the mins and situations you desire, the team comes at you with 1 year left on your year, they offer you a year longer than any other team can (which is gold), at a number lower than you will other wise get (say we offer Letang in the low 6's), would you take it? I would. I'm set for a majority of my career. Sure, you're leaving a bit of money on the table if you turn into a Norris winner, but at the same rate, you're hedging your bets if you don't. It's a low risk, and a no brainer, IMO. You're still being paid like a top 10 defenseman, you're getting your money, your competing for Cups, and you're comfortable for the next 8 years of your career.

 

[LetangInTheSO]

I personally agree. If you want to get 7 million dollars, he should be a legitimate PPQB, and he should be the first man on the ice for the PK.

As I've said before, I come to my conclusion because we will still need guys to play in those situations. He's just not simply good enough at either facet of the game yet. Yet being the key word...he may be some day.

I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him 7 million per season. 6.5, I could live with, even though I think he'd have to develop into something more than he is to warrant that kind of contract. I also don't believe you can look at comparables that much because some absolutely ridiculous contracts were dolled out, and a lot of the guys who are making that big money don't live up to those contracts.

I will even go as far as to say, Karlsson doesn't deserve his money yet. That was Ottawa taking a fan favorite and a guy who has a ton of hype and potential and giving him a ton of money.

The RFA thing is moot, IMO, as the 2nd contract has all but been abolished for good players. RFA's are getting paid like they are UFA's.

This isn't a knock on Letang, but merely me saying what I see him as. He's undoubtedly a top pairing defenseman, and he will get paid as such. Him around the 6 million dollar range will make him a top 10 paid defenseman in the league.

That's not true. The RFA factor is less than it was previously, but it's certainly not "moot." Letang will undoubtedly get a bigger payday than he would if he were an RFA.

 

[JTG]

The thing is, he has to hit UFA to get paid like a UFA. I highly doubt either side lets that happen, as Letang if he has a down year or gets seriously injured, would have a ton to lose.