Proper planning for major moves in the NHL doesn’t happen in a spur of the moment fashion, but is best when circumstances can be anticipated and worked out ahead of time.
Kris Letang has been a number one defensemen for the Penguins for over a decade. He’s 34 years old and in the final year of his contract, still playing 23-24 minutes per game. The Pens may look to extend him this off-season, or they may see how his season and the team’s season goes to make decisions about the future down the line. But even if this isn’t the last season in Pittsburgh for Letang, his time as an elite first pair defenseman is surely well closer to the end than the beginning.