NHL trade rumors: 3 teams who should trade for Kris Letang

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins expects to be traded.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a disappointing end to their season this year after losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the play-in round. Technically, they didn’t even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Changes are going to happen in Pittsburgh and if you believe the latest NHL trade rumors, star defenseman Kris Letang could be on his way out.

Letang has two years left on his contract with a $7.25 million cap hit. He has a no-movement clause, which means he can’t be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft or be sent to the minors without his consent. Furthermore, Letang has a modified no-trade clause which allows him to submit an 18-team no-trade list.

Letang might have to use that no-trade clause wisely if he wants to say in Pittsburgh. This report comes from Rob Rossi of The Athletic.

In the days following the Penguins’ loss in the Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round last month, shortly after sharing with team officials his desire to retire a Penguin, Letang told several teammates he expected to be traded this offseason.

It’s worth noting the Pittsburgh Penguins likely won’t spend to the cap ceiling next season, as the pandemic has understandably done a number on their finances. This is also true for many teams. But apparently, the Penguins have been hit especially hard.

This is going to be an offseason of changes for the Penguins. They’ve already moved out their first-round pick in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Penguins are almost indefinitely trading either Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry, most likely the former.

Now, the team is already going out of their way to try to help Letang get back to his elite years as a defenseman. Some of his best work came while Todd Reirden was an assistant coach. As soon as the Washington Capitals fired him, the Penguins expressed interest in him and quickly hired him.

If the Penguins are going to trade Letang, it’s going to have to involve a significant return. Otherwise, trading him makes absolutely no sense. Let’s take a look at three teams who should be calling the Penguins if Letang is actually on the trade block.

2. Winnipeg Jets

Kris Letang would make all the sense in the world for the Winnipeg Jets as a trade target. The Jets desperately need to add to their defense, as they were horrible this season. Connor Hellebuyck masked a lot of their flaws, and boy, did they have flaws.

Here’s how the Jets did at 5v5 during the regular season.

• 12th most shot attempts per hour (57.06)
• Sixth-most shots against per hour (31.96)
• Third-most expected goals against per hour (2.58)
• Eighth-most scoring chances against per hour (27.9)
• Second-most high danger scoring chances against per hour (12.89)

Also, Josh Morrissey clearly missed Jacob Trouba (and vice versa). Morrissey had arguably the worst season of his NHL career. The usual fancy stats darling had subpar underlying stats and a huge reason for it was the Jets never made an effort to replace Trouba. Dustin Byfuglien’s injury certainly didn’t help either.

Letang wouldn’t solve all of the Jets problems, but he’d sure help them address their defensive issues. He’s a great defenseman, so if he’s available, the Jets should absolutely be interested in him. There’s no excuse for Winnipeg to not be interested in virtually any defenseman with a pulse.

However, do the Jets have what the Penguins want? Winnipeg has a surplus of forwards, but Pittsburgh just traded for Kapanen and their forward group seems pretty much set. It takes two to tango. The Jets are likely willing to tango. But what about the Penguins?

Also, would Letang accept a trade to Winnipeg? It’s a brutally cold city. Not all hockey players like the cold.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

Kris Letang checks off all the boxes on the Toronto Maple Leafs checklist. He’s a right-handed defenseman who has a ton of experience playing first-pairing minutes. Letang would do very well in an up-tempo offense, even if his mobility is starting to decline. He’s proven he can carry just about any defenseman.

Morgan Rielly has rarely had a good partner next to him. Letang would change that. Or he could play with Jake Muzzin and make that the Leafs top pairing. The Maple Leafs desperately need help on the right side and Alex Pietrangelo is likely too expensive for them. At $7.25 million, Letang’s a more reasonable option. Pietrangelo’s likely getting at least $1 million per year more than that.

Now, let’s discuss the pink elephant in the room – cap space. The Leafs would have to get a little creative to afford Letang. A simple move could be trading William Nylander for Letang, but that would be done for the Leafs because Nylander’s great.

They’d probably have to move Andersen and maybe even Andreas Johnsson to afford Letang and the guys who will replace Andersen and Johnsson. But if the Leafs want to get a real top pairing defenseman, Letang would be a lot cheaper than someone like Pietrangelo.