Can Kris Letang still come close to being a No. 1 defenseman?
#Pittsburgh #Penguins #LetsGoPens #NHL #DKPS
Hear award-winning reporter Dejan Kovacevic’s Daily Shot of Penguins podcast every weekday morning!
SUBSCRIBE TO CHANNEL ►https://www.youtube.com/@DKPS_Penguins?sub_confirmation=1
MEMBERSHIP TO CHANNEL ► https://www.youtube.com/@DKPS_Penguins/join
OUR APPS ► https://DKPS.net/apple | https://DKPS.net/android
OUR WEBSITE ► http://www.DKPittsburghSports.com
ABOUT US ► DK Pittsburgh Sports is the proud, pioneering, fully independent venture begun in 2014 by award-winning reporter Dejan Kovacevic and featuring a professional staff covering the Penguins year-round and everywhere they go! This is where it all started!
18 Comments
😶
C'mon DK, it's not the age, it's the miles. Tanger's heart is not gonna keep it up. It is irresponsible not to limit his TOI. No matter what anyone says, his heart is not as good as new.
I don't think there's a reasonable argument that can be made that he is a true top pairing defenseman on a playoff-bound NHL team. He simply is not that guy anymore. If that means that I'm doubting him, then so be it. I think on an elite team, he's an amazing third pair guy or is sheltered in a 2nd pair role.
Letang is a 3rd line defenseman now. He is old, slow, and prone to give up 2 on 1's. He's not even half as good as he was 2016. That was almost a decade ago. Yes, I said a decade ago.
Resigning him was a horrible decision
Guys, you're blaming Tanger for issues with the entire defense last year. Is he a perfect player? By no means. But was his poor play all on his shoulders? No. For some reason, you are all convinced that because his age is higher, that he is a bottom 10 defenseman in the league. He's not. The defensive scheme that was run by Sullivan was not built for 2 offensive leaning defenseman. Let's see what muse does before constantly blaming Tanger for having no help.
Is it possible that a part of the reason Karlsson hasn't been traded is because Muse wants to work with him and see if he can get him back to being the elite scorer he was just a couple years ago?
I cant believe..that we cant trade some of our guys…to UTAH or SEATTLE or ANAHEIM…they are legit hockey players, admittedly 3rd or 4th line guys…but still..
for those who say letang is slow , you need to understand that letangs speed at 80% is still faster than most NHL defensemen . Ive posted numerous times that the pens should move him to the wing to utilize his skill set !
Is he a #1? The short answer is no. The long answer is, LOL, no.
DK – Unless I'm not accurately recalling, Dubas made a comment after the season ended that he'd be willing to send vets down to the AHL if younger players beat them out for spots in camp. Am I recalling that correctly? While I'm sure Dubas would make attempts to move them first, do you realistically see scenarios where players like Acciari, Heinen or Hayes are put on waivers?
I think letang is a liability. He is overrated and often plays sloppily. On the powerplay he is a problem and a candidate for a turnover and shorthanded opportunity. He has had a good career, but he has really dropped off. I love the guy and his tenacity but this team needs energy and a defense that isn’t constantly leaking short handed chances. I’m not trying to hate or act like he isn’t a legend in Pittsburgh but he’s not doing his legacy any favors the last couple seasons. None of our defenders have inspired much in me the last few seasons, but letang especially has been less than awesome
Could Letang be #1 D man on a lousy Defensive team like the Pens…absolutely! But not on any team w. a good D. Also his minutes were a little diminished because his power play minutes have been diminished. Thats probably not much of a factor. He can stll play a ton of quality minutes, especially for his age and is a valuable asset IMO..he's still one of the best and probably a great mentor and team guy. It would be hard to lose him.
Thank you DK. He has a lot of wisdom on the ice. I have concerns about his heart because I care about him. I will not hop on the age train. He has been a great defenseman. This will have to be someone else's call and not mine. I have nothing but good to say about Kris Letang . Great show DK
I don't doubt Letang has it in him to play better than last year overall, but his days of getting 25+ minutes a game need to be over. He's just not that player anymore.
My biggest concern about Letang is, and has been, his decision making, which got significantly worse since the 2nd stroke. Over the last few years, he has cost the Pens a handful of games in each season simply with bad decisions, like redirecting pucks into his own net, passes to opponents in front of the net for easy tap ins, skating routes that end up taking his own goaltender out of the play. And that's not even taking his own defensive lapses, at the blue line, into account.
I disagree that letang is the best defensemen in penguins history. The key word here is DEFENSEmen. That would be Dave burrows a true defensemen i every sense of the word.
Letangs average time on ice last year was about 23:32. Career average is 24:12. Peak was around 25:30.
You saying he’s typically 30, 31, 32min shows you insanely exaggerate things for effect and continue to have no real journalistic credibility.