After his worst game in recent memory, a turnover-riddled performance against the Ducks, Kris Letang will not play Wednesday night against Columbus.
Letang is officially out with a lower-body injury and is day to day, according to Mike Sullivan.
Letang showed no outward sign of injury after Saturday’s game, but an injury could explain the defenseman’s struggles of late. The 30-year-old missed the final four months of last season, including the playoffs, after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc.
Though his offensive numbers — 23 assists, 25 points — are on par for his stellar career, this season has been a struggle for Letang, who is a team-worst minus-5.
Letang has been particularly careless with the puck, including a pair of turnovers against Anaheim on Saturday, including this one which led directly to Ondrej Kase’s breakaway goal just 3:10 in:
Letang, who heard boos from the crowd at PPG Paints Arena afterward, is third in the NHL with 55 giveaways. Letang’s 53.1 Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 is sixth-best among the Penguins, but his points per 60 (.029) is last.
Sullivan said the Penguins had no plans to rest Letang this season, saying that the defenseman is at his best when he’s playing every game.
“I’m not sure what a rest plan would offer him,” Sullivan said. “I think when Kris is at his best is when he’s playing. We’re trying to put him in positions to be successful. We’re trying to put him in situations where he can play to his strengths. He’s an invaluable player for us. He plays in so many key situations. We’ve been trying to work with him game in and game out, day in and day out, to help him establish that consistency to his game that we’ve all grown accustomed to.”
According to SportsNet’s Nick Kypreos, Letang is reportedly being shopped by Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford in a potential blockbuster trade. Letang is Pittsburgh’s third-highest-paid player with five more years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract, and would offer the cap-strapped Penguins some much needed relief. To be dealt, Letang would have to waive the no-movement clause built into his contract.
Having played without Letang for much of last season, Ian Cole says the Penguins know what needs to be done.
"He’s a guy that you can’t just replace him," Cole said. "You just can't plug someone in and say, 'Go do what Kris Letang does.' But that being said, there are little things that everyone can do to help chip in and take his minutes and really do a good job playing defense."
Letang, who quarterbacks the No. 1 power play, will likely be replaced by Olli Maatta, who skated there Wednesday morning.
With the weaponry the Penguins have, Maatta says his job is fairly easy.
"Just giving the puck to the other guy to make the plays," Maatta said. "I mean try to do nothing too much. Don’t think you have to do anything different. Just let Geno, Sid and Phil do their thing."