Last season, Kris Letang had the best season of his career at 35 years old. The Pens re-signed Letang this offseason to a new six-year deal with a $6.1M AAV. The length may seem a little much, but Kris Letang has been proving time and time again that he is a special player for this Penguins team.
Letang’s career has been nothing short of spectacular. He has skated in 941 career NHL games and put up 144 goals and 650 points throughout 15 seasons, all team franchise records for defensemen. He has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) and has been a six-time NHL All-Star (2011. 2012, 2016, 2018. 2019, 2020).
Letang was set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. However, the Penguins prevented that from happening. Letang said a few days ago that he didn’t know if he would return this offseason, saying, “Otherwise, I would have been signed the summer before. Would have been easier, right?” He also said that Sidney Crosby did play a role in his return. “Sid is probably my closest friend. We talked about the entire summer and the entire year. We weren’t sure if it was going to happen. So we’re glad it’s behind us, and we can look forward.”
Letang, I think, could pull off at least three good solid seasons for the Pens, including this coming season. I believe he could realistically have a better season than last year. I think he will hit around 65-70 points this upcoming season.
Last year, Letang hit 68 points, including ten goals, in 78 games, which is the most points he has ever contributed in a season, and that’s rare to see that kind of production from a player this late into his career. If anyone has that capability, however, it’s Letang. A huge part contributing to this is his offseason conditioning and workouts.
Letang is a workhorse in the off-season. He was waking up, eating, and working out by 9 AM. By noon, he’s on the ice skating. After eating and sleeping, he will sometimes work out again before dinner and going to bed. His meals and snacks only consist of protein, fruits, and vegetables. The meats he normally eats are steak, salmon, or chicken.
He averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game in the past seven of eight seasons, and there’s no reason to believe next season will be any different. His health will also play a huge part in if he hits a new career high or not. If he remains healthy, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to hit a new career high. He is still the Penguin’s best defenseman and will be for a few more years.
If Letang will be able to keep up his solid play from last year is still a question, but I cannot find a reason why this year would be any different.
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