According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Pittsburgh Penguins are listening to offers for star Kris Letang. Here are 5 teams who should trade for him.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking at an unexpectedly long summer after being swept by the New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ve already been trying to trade Phil Kessel and even considered trading Evgeni Malkin. If the Penguins aren’t trading either of them, star defenseman Kris Letang is the next logical candidate. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Pens are listening to offers for him.
This report came from Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Now, the Penguins aren’t just going to give away their best defenseman. Pittsburgh has likely set a very high price for Letang and they aren’t going to trade him for peanuts. The only way they’re trading him is if it makes sense.
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Letang has a ton of trade value. Even though he’s 32 years old, very few defensemen are able to do what he can do. Letang’s consistently in the Norris Trophy discussion and you could argue he should have won the award in 2013 when he was a finalist.
Also, he’s right-handed. Right-handed defensemen are coveted in today’s NHL. Just look at how much the San Jose Sharks paid to keep Erik Karlsson around. Look how much the Washington Capitals were willing to pay John Carlson.
Letang has a $7.25 million annual cap hit and has three years left on his deal. He likely has at least two very productive seasons left in him, and potentially three. Letang’s cap hit is probably a bargain, considering what other top defensemen are making.
He has a no-trade clause that allows him to block a trade to 18 teams, which hurts his value a little bit. However, Letang’s value is high enough that the Penguins should be able to get a great return for him.
Let’s take a look at five teams who should trade for him and have what it takes to do it.