With Evgeni Malkin signing a contract extension last week, Kris Letang’s fate has been sealed.
The 2013 Norris Trophy finalist will most likely be traded as the Pittsburgh Penguins simply cannot afford to keep Letang under the salary cap. Furthermore, his less-than-stellar playoff performances over the last three years, and his inability to show confidence as the quarterback on the power play, cannot be ignored.
Given the fact that Letang will likely command a contract in the $6-7 million range, per year, plus all of the young offensive-defensemen Ray Shero has piled up through the draft and trades, it seems Pittsburgh will likely open 2013-2014 without number 58 on the ice.
Assuming that will happen, the Penguins should go with their young defensemen within the system.
Simon Despres was solid in the 36 regular season games he played in this season and while there were some growing pains, it was beneficial to his development as a top four defenseman. Despres doesn’t have quite the physical talent Letang possesses but he seems to play with a little more composure and he clearly has the pedigree to be puck-moving defenseman for a team loaded with star forwards.
Robert Bortuzzo had ups and downs this season as well but rarely saw the ice due to players like Deryk Engelland and Mark Eaton taking up that sixth spot on the blue line. Both of those players have run their course in Pittsburgh and, again, with Bortuzzo’s size (6’4 230 pounds) and youth, he should be given an opportunity to dress every night for the Penguins.
If the Penguins do not get a defenseman via trade with Kris Letang, they can sign a veteran or look to a guy like Brian Dumoulin, acquired in the Jordan Staal trade, to take that sixth spot. Dumoulin is another big body who possesses an extremely hard shot and sound defense. Scott Harrington has an outside shot to make the team if he has a good camp.
Either way, the Penguins should look to their youth to fill in the gaps on defense. This team will make the playoffs and if players are able to gain experience along the regular season, it sets up the possibility of big returns come playoff time because you can count on those players to make an impact.
Ray Shero has signed veteran players like Mark Eaton and Deryk Engelland. He’s given up draft picks to acquire a guy like Douglas Murray. But those guys only played 10-12 minutes a night during the playoffs and when you consider what they have on the cusp of reaching the NHL, the Penguins would be better off keeping their assets and using them.
NHL free agency starts on July 5th and Ray Shero will have a lot going on between now and then. He has to try and re-sign Pascal Dupuis, make a decision on Matt Cooke, and most likely deal Kris Letang. Guys like Brenden Morrow, Jarome Iginla, and Douglas Murray will likely sign elsewhere which means Shero will need to fill those roles. With the best route being free agency, he probably wont have the cap space to sign a big name defenseman.
Look for a steep learning curve from the blue liners next season; an investment that could pay off come May 2014.
Photo courtesy of bleacher report
