Kris Letang's game has been on a downward trend over the last two years. Can he reverse course this year?
It's hard to believe that we've already gotten 20 seasons of Kris Letang in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform.
He made his NHL debut in the 2006-07 season and became a full-time member in the 2007-08 season. You could see the talent on display pretty quickly, and it didn't take long for him to become their franchise defenseman.
Letang has won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins (2009, 2016, and 2017) and played the best hockey of his life during the Penguins' run to the 2016 Stanley Cup. He finished the regular season with 16 goals and 67 points in 71 games before compiling three goals and 15 points in 23 playoff games.
He averaged 28:52 of ice time in the playoffs and did a remarkable job against each opposing team's best players. He also had some magical moments, including the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks.
Letang went all the way around the world in the offensive zone before Crosby set him up for the game-winner. Crosby won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, but I still maintain that it should've gone to Letang. He was that dominant throughout the playoffs.
Letang holds several franchise records for a defenseman, including most games played (1,235), goals (178), assists (628), and points (806). There's no doubt that he's going to have his No. 58 retired by the Penguins once he retires. He's also highly likely to head to the Hockey Hall of Fame at some point.
However, his game has gone downhill over these last couple of seasons. He doesn't skate like he used to, and his decision-making has been straight-up baffling at times. He's even seen his minutes cut during that time, and there's a chance it happens again this season.
Letang had several different defensive partners last season, one of whom was Sam Girard. Head coach Dan Muse put the two together after Girard was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, and it didn't work at all. The pairing was too chaotic, and the two players didn't read one another well.
It also doesn't help that they are two players who want to do the same things when they're on the ice. Now, Muse could go back to the pair when the 2026-27 season opens up to see if a fresh start helps, but I'd be more inclined to see Letang with someone like Declan Carlile, whom the Penguins signed when free agency opened in July.
Carlile got a bigger role with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, appearing in 42 games, and was really solid. When he was on the ice at 5v5, the Lightning had a +4 goal differential and controlled 52.2% of the scoring chances and 50.5% of the high-danger chances. He was barely below water in expected goal share and shot attempt share.
He's more of a defense-first player, which should pair well with Letang since the latter still loves to get involved offensively.
Letang has racked up 30 and 34 points over the last two seasons, and that's the range I expect him to be in this year. He'll score a few goals and generate some assists, whether it's at 5v5 or on the second power-play unit.
He'll also get plenty of minutes on the penalty kill since he's been a mainstay on that unit throughout his entire career.
If Letang can find a little bit of the fountain of youth this season, it could go a long way towards the Penguins having another year similar to last season.
(Data via Natural Stat Trick).
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