Penguins Defender Excelling in New Role
Kris Letang isn't the only offensive specialist on the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line anymore, forcing a change in roles.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson, questions were immediately asked what that could mean for Kris Letang’s role on the team.
Letang was the long-time top defenseman on the Penguins, and Karlsson possesses the same status, but with more offensive upside.
With only one puck to go around, it seemed likely someone’s role would diminish in the 2023-24 season.
The roles of Letang and Karlsson didn’t necessarily fade, but a lateral shift in responsibility was made for one of the future Hall of Famers.
For Karlsson, he would take over as quarterback of the Penguins’ power play; initially, Letang was also on the top unit, but head coach Mike Sullivan pulled the plug on that option just before the start of the season.
Letang has manned the second power play unit, but has also seen an increase in penalty kill time.
Sullivan noted that Letang is playing some of his best defensive hockey this season and is deserving of his time on the PK.
“I think Kris is playing as good of defensive hockey as I’ve seen him,” Sullivan said. “He’s been a big part of the penalty kill. We tried to diminish his minutes last year and the year before to try and mange his work load.”
For a number of seasons, Letang as been far and away the Penguins most utilized skater, averaging well over 24 minutes of ice per game for over 10 years.
As Letang has aged, the Penguins have tried to contain his minutes without taking away opportunities.
From the 2021-22 season to 2022-23, Letang’s time on the penalty kill dipped from 109 minutes to 59.
Letang has already played a huge role on the PK in 2023-24, and it seems to be a solid way for the Penguins to utilize both of their elite defenseman, and get the most out of their abilities.
“Now we can deploy them different ways,” Sullivan said. “That allows us to use Kris a little more on the penalty kill than we did in the past. Erik’s getting a little more power play time. Both are getting power play time.”
Even with a shift in roles, Letang is still the most used Penguins skater so far in 2023-24 with 24:51 in average TOI; Karlsson sits with 24:22.
The Penguins have two of the best defenseman in the NHL from an offensive standpoint, but Letang will excel in an altered role that has more of a defensive focus.
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