The 2014-15 season will be a forgettable one for most Pittsburgh Penguins players and fans. For defenseman Kris Letang, it’s a wonder that he can even remember it.
Letang suffered at least two head injuries last season, the first coming as a result of a dangerous hit by Philadelphia Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo in January, the second after he fell awkwardly into the boards following an innocent-looking hit by Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan in late March.
He also missed five games in late November and early December with a lower-body injury. In total, Letang played in just 69 games, ruining what might have been his best shot at a Norris trophy, which is given annually to the league’s best defenseman.
All of that came just a year after he suffered a stroke at age 26. Still, Letang is unfazed by the repeated injuries that have plagued him over the last few years.
“I got hit a few times,” he admitted in his post-season media availability.
Despite the number and severity of his ailments, he isn’t worried about the future.
“I’m not really scared,” he said.
That’s good news for the Penguins, who will rely on Letang in 2015-16 in a role that he’s unaccustomed to: veteran presence.
With soon-to-be free agents Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff likely departing this offseason and Rob Scuderi a candidate to be bought out, that could make Letang, now 28, one of the team’s elder statesmen on the blue line.
“I’ve been feeling really comfortable talking with those guys,” Letang said. “I had a chance to play with Olli (Maatta) right at the beginning of the year and we had good chemistry.
Those guys could include a wave of young talent on the Penguins blue line. Ian Cole (26), Derrick Pouliot (21) and Maatta (20) seemed to have locked-down spots for next season while Brian Dumoulin (23) and Scott Harrington (22) have put themselves in a position to compete for playing time.
“I’ve been here for almost 10 years, so I feel comfortable having younger guys and taking a bigger role on the back end.”
It will indeed be Letang’s tenth season with the team, and in that time, he’s gone from a player whose talent was equal parts tantalizing and frustrating to one of the best all-around defensemen in hockey. If the Penguins are going to be more successful in the 2015-16 than they were in 2014-15, a healthy Kris Letang will be a big piece of that puzzle.
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