Kris Letang has quietly put together an impressive start for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

We are closing in on one month into the 2023-24 NHL season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins sit in last place in the Eastern Conference. Their 3-6-0 start is not what anybody expected following an offseason of turnover, both on the ice and off.

However, despite the negative results, there are a few positive takeaways from the Penguins' performance in October. Defensively, the Penguins have been quietly impressive to this point. According to MoneyPuck.com, they lead the league in expected goals percentage (58.14%) and are 6th in the league in shots allowed per game (28.8).

A lot of their defensive success has been due to the play of Kris Letang. Nobody on this team saw a more drastic change to their role than Letang did when the Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson.

Letang was bumped from the top power play, a unit that he has quarterbacked since the departure of Sergei Gonchar in 2010, and has instead stepped up on the penalty kill.

The 18-year NHL veteran has already amassed 22 minutes of shorthanded ice time this season and is on pace to soar past his 60 total minutes from last year. His efforts have helped the Penguins to have the 12th-ranked penalty kill through the opening month of the season.

Not only that, but Letang is working with a new defense partner, Ryan Graves after longtime defense partner Brian Dumoulin left in the offseason. Their chemistry has looked shaky at points but has begun to stabilize as they get more experience with each other.

Despite these changes, Letang has played a more refined game in the Penguins defensive zone. He has three giveaways through the first nine games of this season (0.33 per game). That's a significant drop from last season when he finished second on the team in giveaways despite playing 64 games (0.98 per game).

Letang's point production has taken a hit, scoring five points (0G-5A) through the first nine games. He is on pace to finish with his lowest points per game since 2009-10. But with the lack of power play time and a new defense partner, I expect Letang will break out as he gets more comfortable in his new role.

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