Kris Letang Hits Latest Milestone Against the Minnesota Wild

Kris Letang may be in season 16, but he is still playing elite hockey.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman has 59 points in 65 games this season and is showing no signs of slowing down. His 52 assists lead the Pens, as do his plus-minus (+22) and time on ice figures (over 25:30).

In Pittsburgh’s 11-goal performance against the Detroit Red Wings, Letang recorded three assists, including one that gave him 637 career points. That number is significant, because it puts the 34-year-old in fifth place in terms of career points with the Penguins.

Now with 641 points, he trails only Mario Lemieux (1,723 points), Sidney Crosby (1,396), Evgeni Malkin (1,137), and Jaromir Jagr (1,079). Letang passed Rick Kehoe, who had 636 points during his playing days.

He has held the all-time points lead by Pittsburgh defensemen, as he is 200 points clear of the legendary Paul Coffey.

Kris Letang just keeps setting records in Pittsburgh.

Fast forward to Thursday’s contest against the Minnesota Wild, and Tanger once again reached a new achievement, this one on a personal level.

He picked up the primary assist on a second-period goal by forward Jake Guentzel, which gave Letang 500 assists for his career. As is the case with points, he ranks fifth in franchise history in assists.

That 500th assist, as noted earlier, also gave him 52 on the campaign, which is a personal best. He recorded 51 helpers in the 2015-2016 season, but he has eclipsed that and will now build on his new total.

Letang has not been alone in reaching new heights this season. Malkin set a record of his own, as his game-winning overtime goal in St. Paul ties him with Jagr for the most game-winning tallies in team history (78).

In addition, Crosby hit a major milestone recently as he scored his 500th career goal earlier this season.

With three Stanley Cup titles and 15 consecutive playoff appearances (soon to be 16), Letang has established himself as a paramount piece of the greatest era of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. The attention may often go to Sid and Geno, but the Pens’ sustained success would not be possible without number 58.

The next milestones on the horizon for the veteran defenseman will revolve around games played. He has 928 in his career, which ranks third in Penguins history. Assuming he is not hampered by injuries, he would reach 1,000 games played next season.

Kris Letang has never earned the league-wide recognition that he has deserved, but this season, he is yet again doing his best to grab people’s attention with his record-setting play.