ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The first season of Kris Letang's six-year, $36.6 million contract has hardly gone the way he had hoped.
Right out of the gates, Letang's first two games of the season were two utterly dominant individual performances at both ends of the ice. It's not hyperbole to suggest those were two of the best games he had played in quite some time, and that's really saying something considering he was coming off a very strong 2021-22 season.
After those first two games, though, Letang's impact began slipping. His defensive work was often porous and, while his offense didn't dry up entirely, it wasn't reaching the level the Penguins realistically needed from him as the team's No.