For the first time in 15 years, Kris Letang has played less than 20 minutes in consecutive games. Not since Oct. 30 and Nov. 3, 2010 have Penguins coaches given Letang so much seat time.
His struggles have been obvious.
Extraordinary highs have marked Letang’s on-ice career, but also a certain number of mitigating mistakes have always been attached. An overaggressive pinch, or a turnover, fueled critics, even as his skating and offense-driving skills far offset the mistakes.
At 38 years old, Letang’s high points and contributions are fewer, but the comparatively large number of mistakes remains. In fact, the lack of highs has only exacerbated the situations in which the Penguins find themselves, as a lack of offensive output in crucial situations and overtime has cast a pall upon the current Penguins situation.
This season, Letang has 16 points (2-14-16) in 31 games, which is a healthy output, but seven of those 16 are power play points (1-6-7).
In fairness, Letang has been through hell. Strokes. Surgery last March to repair a small hole in his heart. His game has changed. He is not playing the same high-risk game, but the explosive skating that allowed him to leave forecheckers behind is not what it was and he’s getting caught more in the defensive zone. More chips off the glass, more throws to center are creating more changes of possession.
Coaches are noticing his decline.
The former top defenseman is on pace for an uptick in offensive output compared to last season’s mere 30 points, but his puck possession metrics are on pace to be the worst of his career.
For a simple look at the advanced analytics, Letang’s Corsi rating is only 47.8%, meaning when he’s on the ice, opponents are getting more shot attempts than the Penguins. His possession numbers have been in a steady decline over three seasons, this being the worst.
In addition to recently reduced ice time, 19:57 against San Jose on Saturday and 18:02 against Utah on Sunday, despite both games going to overtime, coaches are also deploying Letang less in the defensive zone. This season, he is starting only 43.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone, despite the Penguins’ increased defensive zone starts.
Perhaps the biggest question is whether Letang can reverse course or if the struggles are a permanent decline.
Rapid Fire
**The Penguins returned Sergei Murashov to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Monday. His performance Sunday was the truest picture of a 21-year-old rookie goalie who is just about ready for the big show.
Murashov made a few brilliant saves in the first two periods but served up a few juicy rebounds in the third. He could play in the NHL right now, but he’s not quite over the hump where that decision is a no-brainer. Should Murashov arrive in the NHL full-time now, there would be big ups and downs like Sunday.
Perhaps the short bursts of NHL action are the proper development path for the next few months; let him play a few games, take notes, and return to WBS to work on those notes.
**General manager Kyle Dubas mentioned that Brett Kulak can play both the right and left sides. That could be interesting as coach Dan Muse figures out his lineup.
Could Kulak take a right-side spot, even for a game or two?
**Reports indicate that Ottawa GM Steve Staios is interested in top-six help. We believe Ottawa was paying attention to the Penguins this weekend.
Tommy Novak’s creative play beside Sidney Crosby during his couple of games was eye-opening. Rickard Rakell returned Saturday, and Novak was thrust to the third-line center spot, in which he performed acceptably.
Perhaps Ottawa is the team willing to part with the worthy trade package for Rakell, and Novak would resume playing beside Crosby.
**Kevin Hayes has played well at various points this season, but not at center. Putting him in the middle hasn’t worked for the team.
Tristan Broz remains in WBS.
**The lost leads are clearly ruminating deep inside the Penguins’ heads. Old school hockey would necessitate a few punches thrown, and the more unconventional the source, the better. The team looked and sounded gutted Sunday. A little bit of anger might be the fire that gets them past doubt.
Tags: Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins Rickard Rakell
Categorized: Penguins Analysis PHN Blog