Kris Letang Rumors & News

Now that Evgeni Malkin has been re-signed, general manager Ray Shero’s focus turns to two players on opposite ends of the spectrum. On one hand you’ve got Kris Letang, the talented but inconsistent Norris Trophy nominated defenseman. He’s got skating ability and puck skills in spades and will command a healthy pay raise on his current $3.5 million contract that runs through 2013-14. Shero will have to see if he can sign Letang for a reasonable amount to the team, or he’s likely to trade Letang much the same as he did with Jordan Staal last summer. On the other end of the spectrum th...

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) checks Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) during the first period of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, in Boston on Friday, June 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) controls the puck against Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) during the second period in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

In Game 1, the Penguins afforded Bruins center David Krejci (above, pushing a puck past Tomas Vokoun and Kris Letang) quite a bit free space. As a result, Krejci torched them for two goals. They might want to avoid a repeat of that in Game 2 and beyond. Only one player has scored more postseason points this decade than Krejci. The NHL's postseason scoring leaders since 2010: Player, Position Teams GamesPlayed Goals-Assists-Points 1.) Mike Richards, C Flyers/Kings 68 13-41-55 2.) David Krejci, C Bruins 54 24-29-54 3.) Daniel Briere, RW Flyers 45 27-25-52 4.) Claude Giroux, RW Flyers...

So far these playoffs the Pittsburgh Penguins have already done us one favour by eliminating the crybaby Sens, but Kris Letang and company do it again and eliminate the diving, cheap shot artist, whining, loser Br00nz too? On the surface it seems to me that the Bruins have the advantage both in goal and in forward depth, but they also have a much weaker defensive core outside of Zdeno Chara. Patrice Bergeron will also be facing his biggest challenge of the playoffs in trying to shut down Sidney Crosby, who has come off of a broken jaw to lead the playoffs in goals with 7 in just 10 gam...

Pittsburgh Penguins' Kris Letang skates during NHL hockey practice on Friday, May 31, 2013, in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are preparing to host the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Playoff StuffPenguins -"You know what you're going to get from Dan every day, which is good. He's very consistent. I think guys appreciate that." - Craig Adams on Dan Bylsma (right). -Kris Letang is on the verge of breaking Larry Murphy's franchise mark for points in a single postseason by a defenseman. -Sidney Crosby wants to get better in the faceoff dot in order to face the Bruins. -Jarome Iginla realized he'd have to face the Bruins in the postseason sooner or later. -"It's not about me. It's about the team. It's about winning. We've been winning, so I'm happy. We all love the game, we all...

How productive has Kris Letang's postseason been thus far? He's roughly one good series away from setting a franchise record. Through two rounds, Letang has 16 points, second-most for a single postseason in franchise history among defenseman. The only blueliner who scored more points for the Penguins in a postseason is hall-of-famer Larry Murphy. The 10 best single-postseason totals by defensemen in franchise history: Player Year GamesPlayed Goals-Assists-Points Larry Murphy 1991 23 5-18-23 Larry Murphy 1992 21 6-10-16 Kris Letang 2013 11 3-13-16 Paul Coffey 1989 11 2-13-15 Larry...