Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Kris Letang's New Contract with the Pens 4 years at 3.5 million per season


#58 / Defenseman / Pittsburgh Penguins
Height: 6-0

Weight: 201

Born: Apr 24, 1987

Age at contract extension: 22 (23 next month)

Career before contract: 211 games played, 21 goals, 58 assists, 79 points, 98 PIMs, -7

Playoff stats before contract: 39 gp, 4g, 11a, 15p, +6


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Letang burst on the scene in 2006-07, making the Penguins out of training camp. They only kept him seven games before sending him back to juniors for the season, but it was obvious by then the 3rd round pick in 2005 was a special player. Most thought Letang should have made the NHL the following season, but he was assigned to the AHL. He'd only stay 10 games before getting called up to stay in the fall of 2007. Since then he's racked up a ton of games at an early age.

Skating is Letang's forte, his offensive game hasn't found it's full stride, but he's improved drastically in the defensive zone. While not a big player, Letang will throw his weight around and is effective in the corners. He's an excellent puck mover who can make a great first pass.

Where he needs to improve: offensive production, continued consistent defensive plays like always making the right decision in his own zone.

Tanger Luv


Penguins Sign Defenseman Kris Letang to Four-Year Contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Kris Letang to a four-year contract extension, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The new contract goes into effect at the start of the 2010-11 season and will run through 2013-14. Letang, 22, has played 211 career NHL games in three-plus seasons with Pittsburgh, totaling 79 points on 21 goals and 58 assists.

This season, the 6-foot, 201-pound defenseman has set a new single-season career high with 24 assists while recording 27 points. Letang has seen his role expand with added time on the team’s power play and penalty killing units. He ranks second among the Penguins’ defensemen (and third overall) with an average of 21:30 minutes per game.

Letang was a major contributor to the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup championship. During Pittsburgh’s title run, Letang was the NHL’s third leading scorer among defensemen with 13 points (4G-9A). His shining moment occurred in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Washington. Letang nearly missed the game with an injury, but suited up and scored the overtime winning goal (his first career playoff goal) to help the Penguins avoid a 3-0 series deficit, and inject the team with new life.

The Montreal, Quebec native was originally drafted by the Penguins in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Letang saw his first NHL action at just 19 years old when he appeared in seven games and scored two goals for the Penguins during the 2006-07 season.

Letang won back-to-back gold medals with Canada at the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Champions, and was captain of the 2007 team. He was named one of Canada’s top three players on the 2007 squad after tying for second in tournament scoring among defensemen with six points (6A).

With today’s signing, the Penguins now have locked up a strong core of their young players. The Penguins now have mulit-year contracts with Sidney Crosby (through 2012-13), Jordan Staal (2012-13), Evgeni Malkin (2013-14), Brooks Orpik (2013-14) Letang (2013-14) and Marc-Andre Fleury (2014-15).


Source
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=523260&cmpid=pit-fb-pghpenguins

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Quote by Kris Letang about the Pens/Caps game on March 24, 2010

"Hockey is a game of mistakes," defenseman Kris Letang said. "You're not going to play 60 perfect minutes every night, but I think we are where we should be. We kept playing the same way until the end and got a point at the end."

Friday, March 19, 2010

Tanger Career Highlights

2003-2004 U17 WHC Bronze Medal
2004-2005 QMJHL All-Rookie Team
U18 WJC All-Star Team
U18 WJC Silver Medal
2005-2006 QMJHL First All-Star Team
U20 WJC Gold Medal
2006-2007 QMJHL Best Defensive Defenseman "Kevin Lowe Trophy"
QMJHL Defenseman of the Year "Emile Bouchard Trophy"
QMJHL First All-Star Team
U20 WJC All-Star Team
U20 WJC Gold Medal
U20 WJC Most Assists by Defenseman (6)
2007-2008 NHL YoungStars Roster
2008-2009 NHL Stanley Cup Champion
Awards by league
- NHL Stanley Cup Champion 08/09
- NHL YoungStars Roster 07/08
- QMJHL All-Rookie Team 04/05
- QMJHL Best Defensive Defenseman "Kevin Lowe Trophy" 06/07
- QMJHL Defenseman of the Year "Emile Bouchard Trophy" 06/07
- QMJHL First All-Star Team 05/06, 06/07
- U17 WHC Bronze Medal 03/04
- U18 WJC All-Star Team 04/05
- U18 WJC Silver Medal 04/05
- U20 WJC All-Star Team 06/07
- U20 WJC Gold Medal 05/06, 06/07
- U20 WJC Most Assists by Defenseman 06/07


Source:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=9189

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Random Youtube video

The reason I am posting this video on here is because Letang actually is helping Sidney after being injured and I thought it was very sweet of Letang. LOL Enjoy the video anyway.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Canes/Pens game March 11, 2010

I got to go to the Canes/Pens game on March 11th. It was fun and I saw Kris Letang play!!! The game was tied until OT when the Canes scored. The final score was
Pens 3 Canes 4.

But it was action packed and I had fun seeing Letang play in person again. The RBC Center in Raleigh was really packed!!!

GREAT GAME!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

New Article about Letang

Letang's goal is getting more shots on net

Kris Letang admittedly shoots to score — at least, more than the Penguins' other offensively skilled defensemen.

He has scored a lot less, too. His three goals are one more than the combined efforts of defensive defensemen Brooks Orpik and Jay McKee.

Three goals aren't enough for Letang, whose right-handed shot has been a lauded weapon dating to his days as a dominant offensive defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior League.

Three goals, scored in 55 games before facing the Dallas Stars on Saturday at Mellon Arena, are one fewer than he scored in 23 Stanley Cup playoff games last spring.

Three goals, on a team-leading 129 shots by defensemen, probably won't land Letang a long-term contract offer on the restricted free-agent marker much better than the one near $3.5 million annual the Penguins have pitched to his agent.

Letang insists none of the above is on his mind when an opportunity to shoot presents itself.

"Most of the time I'm trying to make sure the shot goes through everyone," he said Friday after a practice at Southpointe. "The guys aren't coming at you; they're coming into your (shooting) lane. He's trying to take your lane away and then your time and space."

A survey of Letang's defense corps teammates provided the following approach to getting shots on-net:

Alex Goligoski, who has scored seven goals on 69 shots, tries to "definitely shoot for a spot ... but if the goalie is square you don't have to try and make a perfect shot."

Jordan Leopold, who scored seven goals on 69 shots before arriving Tuesday from Florida, tries "to put pucks into areas where the guys up front can get it."

Mark Eaton, who has scored three goals on 56 shots, tries to "keep it low and get it through — nothing too complicated."

Conversely, Letang prefers to "move quick to the middle because you're more dangerous there than from the half-wall" and "go high ... just to make sure it doesn't get blocked on the ice."

His preference is the wrist shot "because it's more accurate," and he considers future Hall-of-Fame Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom as the cream of the crop regarding shooters among defensemen.

"He moves on the blueline with his head up the whole time, and he has that (stick) drag so he can wrist it," he said. "It's always a half-slapper or a wrist shot, and it's powerful and accurate."

Lidstrom has missed on 29.8 percent of non-blocked shots taken this season. Letang has missed on 35.5 percent of his non-blocked shot attempts.

That percentage seems high, but Goligoski is at 33 percent of missed non-blocked attempts. Gonchar, widely lauded around the NHL for his ability to get pucks to the net, has missed on 31.3 percent on non-blocked attempts.

Leopold, who has missed on 31.8 percent of non-blocked shot attempts, laughed at the suggestion that hitting the net — or at least the goalie — is a more difficult challenge than most fans presume.

"It's a lot more difficult," he said, "but from what I can tell in this system, and it's only been two games, we do a good job of moving pucks in the areas to where guys are — and you're able to get shots off.

"There's a little more room, because of the guys in the dressing room, to get shots off. You get it quicker and with a little more time to shoot. You certainly seem to get the chance to shoot."

Letang is looking forward to those chances over the final 18 games and into the playoffs.

"That's the only way to score more goals," he said. "Even if I don't score, the guys up front can if I get the puck on the net."


Source:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_670291.html?source=rss&feed=8

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