Recent reports indicate that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Kris Letang are close to finalizing a new deal. The reported difference between. the club and its cornerstone player is less than $1 million, and would be a hometown discount for the Penguins. Details of the negotiations between the Pittsburgh Penguins and star defenseman Kris Letang have been scarce throughout the early portion of the NHL offseason. Piece by piece, the rumored contract extension has started to take shape, and an announcement may be on the horizon. Dejan Kovacevic, the founder of DKPittsburghSports, announced that Letang's new contract could be on the precipice of being signed. He also added that the new deal will most likely end up being for three years. Three seems to be the new magic number for the Pittsburgh Penguins, as it lines up directly with the end of Sidney Crosby's current contract. It's also the number of years that Bryan Rust's new contract contains a no-move clause. As details become more available, it is becoming clear that a deal between Letang and the Penguins is imminent [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/kris-letang-new-pittsburgh-penguins-contract-imminent] and could be announced in the coming days. It was reported last week by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period that Letang and the Penguins were between $7-$8 million per year. With the term being shorter than initially expected, you can imagine that the money will come in on the higher end of that range. If he maxes out that range, the Penguins will have $13 million left under the NHL salary cap following their signing of Casey DeSmith [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-resign-casey-desmith]. Letang is the top defensive free agent this summer, and the Penguins could be looking to take him off the market before it even begins. Once that deal concludes, we should learn more about the Penguin's status with Evgeni Malkin. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Re-Sign Casey DeSmith [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-resign-casey-desmith] Penguins Among Teams Interested in Marc-Andre Fleury [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-interested-marc-andre-fleury] Kris Letang's New Penguins Contract Seems Imminent [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/kris-letang-new-pittsburgh-penguins-contract-imminent] Penguins Must Reinvent Brian Dumoulin Next Season [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-reinvent-brian-dumoulin-next-season] Penguins Could Reunite With Zach Aston-Reese [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-reunite-zach-aston-reese] Ranking U.S. Born Pittsburgh Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/podcasts/ranking-american-born-pittsburgh-penguins] * undefined * undefined