Pens, Letang Agree to 8 Year Deal

[Darkstone42]

I don't think he's worth any more than $5 million per if he plays like he did this year for the duration of the contract.

I could have lived with 6.

7.25 is outrageous, and it handicaps the team financially. At that rate, I honestly think we're better off without him.

 

[forty_three]

I don't think he's worth any more than $5 million per if he plays like he did this year for the duration of the contract.

I could have lived with 6.

7.25 is outrageous, and it handicaps the team financially. At that rate, I honestly think we're better off without him.

Well, you have until July of next year to convince Shero.

Just remember that I will be working at convincing Shero to keep him.

 

[elocomotive]

Name the last D-man who got a fat contract at 26 and got better. Bonus points if he was still as good at 34.

Super bonus points if you name anyone besides Nik Lidstrom or Scott Stevens.

Well, let's see you got Nik Li... oh... nevermind.

 

[Jims_Doors]

Letang will make 2.75mil more than Gonchar over the next 2 seasons.

 

[dash]

Letang will make 2.75mil more than Gonchar over the next 2 seasons.

That Gonchar signing was god-awful.

 

[evolver115]

7.25 is outrageous, and it handicaps the team financially. At that rate, I honestly think we're better off without him.

It is outrageous, but we have only his fellow defensemen to blame. They have set the market in stud defensemen pricing.

Phaneuf, Green, Boyle, Bouwmeester, Doughty, Karlsson, Chara, Campbell, Suter and Weber all make north of six million, and some of the former make more than seven. Of all the previous mentioned, none have more assists than Letang over the past three seasons. His 0.77 point-per-game average places second behind only Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson (0.79) in the same amount of time.

Stud defensemen get paid in today's NHL. The only position that garners more lavish riches are centers. I'm pretty happy that we as Pens fans have three supremely talented players at those two positions.

 

[awaz]

My god bob errey. 'Kris might be better defensively than he is offensively'. What is nhl network thinking having him on?

 

[dash]

My god bob errey. 'Kris might be better defensively than he is offensively'. What is nhl network thinking having him on?

 

[KennyBanyeah]

 

[The Q stache]

Thank God for Duncan Keith's 13 year deal to drive down his cap hit. Why didn't the pens just do that...

 

[JustAsking]

Name the last D-man who got a fat contract at 26 and got better. Bonus points if he was still as good at 34.

Super bonus points if you name anyone besides Nik Lidstrom or Scott Stevens.


Yes, if he did get better 7.25 will seem a bargain. However it is more likely that I will be able to produce live monkeys out of my ass.

I don't know about their contracts, but the first four defenseman to come to my mind are (put all of 10 seconds thinking about it):

1.) Ray Bourque
2.) Brian Leetch
3.) Scott Niedermayer
4.) Paul Coffey (may not have gotten better, but certainly didn't get worse at age 26)

Don't hate the player hate the game, Letang's 7.25 is A LOT of money, but he didn't set the bar... you are either born with talent or you are not, and he was... his mistakes, poor decision making can be corrected with study... if he puts the time in, I think, hope, he will... (I hope your ass is big, or your monkeys are small.)

But I do understand your big market envy... living in LA, coming from PGH, folks tell me I suffer from Big City Envy (wife from NYC to boot). Enjoy Mark Letestu... (btw: Pens had to decide from Sid, Geno, Staal and Letestu, he's not a gritty enough to be a 4th liner so it didn't make sense him there either)... I think the Pens' made the correct call, don't you?

 

[Darkstone42]

It is outrageous, but we have only his fellow defensemen to blame. They have set the market in stud defensemen pricing.

Phaneuf, Green, Boyle, Bouwmeester, Doughty, Karlsson, Chara, Campbell, Suter and Weber all make north of six million, and some of the former make more than seven. Of all the previous mentioned, none have more assists than Letang over the past three seasons. His 0.77 point-per-game average places second behind only Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson (0.79) in the same amount of time.

Stud defensemen get paid in today's NHL. The only position that garners more lavish riches are centers. I'm pretty happy that we as Pens fans have three supremely talented players at those two positions.

Yes, but I really don't think he's all that good defensively. I mean, sure, he is in stretches, but at what point do we accept that he's not going to clear up his mental mistakes and disappearing acts and that he simply isn't a consistent player.

And Chara should have set the market ceiling. No defenseman should make more than him. That should be it.

 

[forty_three]

I don't know about their contracts, but the first four defenseman to come to my mind are (put all of 10 seconds thinking about it):

1.) Ray Bourque
2.) Brian Leetch
3.) Scott Niedermayer
4.) Paul Coffey (may not have gotten better, but certainly didn't get worse at age 26)

Don't hate the player hate the game, Letang's 7.25 is A LOT of money, but he didn't set the bar... you are either born with talent or you are not, and he was... his mistakes, poor decision making can be corrected with study... if he puts the time in, I think, hope, he will... (I hope your ass is big, or your monkeys are small.)

But I do understand your big market envy... living in LA, coming from PGH, folks tell me I suffer from Big City Envy (wife from NYC to boot). Enjoy Mark Letestu... (btw: Pens had to decide from Sid, Geno, Staal and Letestu, he's not a gritty enough to be a 4th liner so it didn't make sense him there either)... I think the Pens' made the correct call, don't you?

Thanks for making my point. When you commit too much salary on too few resources, you eventually have to cast off quality role players and other teams benefit. No one would rather have Letestu over any of those guys. But I think any team with them would like to have him *too*. And if that could be accomplished by not spending like a sailor on shore leave...

Letestu makes 1.25. About the same amount that it's pretty unanimous that Letang got overpaid...

Had Crosby and Malkin agreed to 8m/year even (799k less each), you could have kept him. Who's your third line center this year?

 

[evolver115]

Yes, but I really don't think he's all that good defensively. I mean, sure, he is in stretches, but at what point do we accept that he's not going to clear up his mental mistakes and disappearing acts and that he simply isn't a consistent player.

And Chara should have set the market ceiling. No defenseman should make more than him. That should be it.

I can't necessarily disagree with you about Chara. But the reality of his contract is that three new deals among defenseman have already eclipsed his 6.9 per season in just two off-seasons. I don't see that trend ending. That's how the salary cap game goes. Agents dealing for new contracts will aim to beat or place nearby the previous giant contract.

As for Letang's development with a more defensive minded approach.. that is all up to him, honestly. He has the speed, vision and understanding of the game to be great at it. Maybe this contract gives him something to live up to, or maybe it will be his undoing. Who knows. It will be fun finding out, I think. He will probably be the best homegrown d-man the Pens have ever developed when it is all said and done. I like the fact that Kris has the opportunity to do that here, as opposed to elsewhere.


jmo

 

[pixburgher66]

Thanks for making my point. When you commit too much salary on too few resources, you eventually have to cast off quality role players and other teams benefit. No one would rather have Letestu over any of those guys. But I think any team with them would like to have him *too*. And if that could be accomplished by not spending like a sailor on shore leave...

Letestu makes 1.25. About the same amount that it's pretty unanimous that Letang got overpaid...

Had Crosby and Malkin agreed to 8m/year even (799k less each), you could have kept him. Who's your third line center this year?

Brandon Sutter. I loved Letestu. He didn't fit here because he was too talented to be a fourth line guy. I'm happy he's having success, but I don't regret letting him go. He didn't leave because of money, I think Shero wanted to give him an opportunity.

 

[esls79]

And Dupuis just got a four year deal according to Lebrun.

 

[rares]

4 years, $15M for Dupuis

 

[JustAsking]

Thanks for making my point. When you commit too much salary on too few resources, you eventually have to cast off quality role players and other teams benefit. No one would rather have Letestu over any of those guys. But I think any team with them would like to have him *too*. And if that could be accomplished by not spending like a sailor on shore leave...

Letestu makes 1.25. About the same amount that it's pretty unanimous that Letang got overpaid...

Had Crosby and Malkin agreed to 8m/year even (799k less each), you could have kept him. Who's your third line center this year?

Sutter is the 3rd line center... I liked Letestu... like him. I'll cheer for him as well as Lovejoy (just recently resigned by the ducks) and TK...but he still wouldn't fit in with the Pens center talent.... money wasn't the issue, the talent was. Sutter, however, will be a RFA next year and potentially he could make your point better, in regards to the Pens, and spending big on few players. Hopefully he enjoys his role, and follows his other centers and takes a discount... the lack of compensation for RFAs signing with other teams is concerning.

The position to watch now is the goaltending position... King Henry will soon be the highest paid player in the NHL... IMO.

 

[pixburgher66]

I love Pas-cal. An incredibly underrated player. SO excited that we don't have to see him in another jersey. He'd be that guy that'd come back and kill us every game.

 

[esls79]

I love Pas-cal. An incredibly underrated player. SO excited that we don't have to see him in another jersey. He'd be that guy that'd come back and kill us every game.

I can't believe how effective he has become after watching him earlier in his career with the Wild. He was fast, had a cannon for a shot, but couldn't hit the net to save his life.