Penguins willing to discuss Kris Letang trades, per reports

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made star defenseman Kris Letang available in trade talks, according to DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Matt Gajtka. His report comes after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote that Letang’s name had “surfaced” on the market and Nick Kypreos floated the same idea on TV.

However, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports, “There are currently zero intentions of trading Kris Letang,” so while he might be available, there’s not going to be any urgency on Pittsburgh’s part to move him.

Letang could be the biggest name available before this year’s trade deadline if nothing changes in the coming weeks. The uber-talented defenseman has another four years remaining on a deal that includes a $7.25 million annual cap hit, a no-movement clause, and a modified no-trade clause.

The Penguins haven’t asked Letang to provide the list of teams he’ll approve deals to yet, according to Gajtka, but his contract will allow him to provide a list of 13 teams he can block trades to. That will leave 18 potential suitors where Letang won’t have the ability to prevent a deal. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reported a couple days ago that Letang’s camp wasn’t aware of any trade discussions yet.

Injuries have become a concern for Letang throughout his career. The defenseman has played more than 70 games in a season just once since 2011. He’s still been one of the NHL’s elite defensemen when he’s been healthy enough to play, but he’s missed 155 of 496 regular season games since the start of the 2011-12 season. That includes the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff run that ended with Pittsburgh repeating as champions.

It seems like the Penguins’ success last postseason, Letang’s ongoing health issues, a salary cap crunch, and an underwhelming first half have led the team to consider some extreme options. It would take a remarkable confluence of factors to come together for a midseason Letang deal, as Friedman suggested in his article, but with the pressure to win in Pittsburgh, general manager Jim Rutherford is apparently considering some big changes.

Acquiring Letang would be a major risk for another team given his sizable cap hit and health history, but the upside would be getting one of the best defensemen in the league when he’s healthy. The 30-year-old has 25 points in 37 games this season and could be a game-changer for another franchise, even if any deal will likely require sending salary back the other way.

Leading up to the trade deadline, this could be a major story, so it’ll be worth keeping a close eye on. A Letang trade would be a monster move for two teams and could change the landscape in the Eastern Conference for the second half of the season.