Reports of New Letang Deal: Keep Your Eye on the NTC

By Artistry

Twitter is exploding at this hour with reports that the Penguins and Kris Letang are finalizing an extension.

Kris Letang contract with Penguins. 8 years / 58 M (#58!) 7.25 AVV Limited no trade to 15 teams. #RDS
— Renaud Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) June 30, 2013

That $7.25M cap hit is higher than we're comfortable with, but not significantly so. The primary sticking point is the no-trade clause. No one -- not us, not you, not Ray Shero, not any of the pundits who will tell you what they think of the numbers -- has any idea what this deal will look like two years from now. Letang may be a steal at $7.25M or an absolute albatross. The key is whether the Penguins can move him. And if there really is a 15 team NTC in the agreement, they'll have that option.

Totally understand if you have mixed feelings.

As sexy as the thought was of getting a treasure trove of assets in return for a guy with less composure than a rabid squirrel, this is probably the right move. You don't win a Stanley Cup without an elite defenseman. And nobody questions that Letang is one of the Top 10 defenseman in the league. That's a hole the Pens couldn't possibly fill, probably for years to come.

In other news, Pascal Dupuis is about to walk. As predicted.