Pittsburgh Penguins: Kris Letang’s dramatic rise to NHL dominance in 2014-15

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been a productive player throughout his career, but in 2014-15 he’s rising to a new level of greatness.

The Penguin’s longest tenured defenseman is Montreal native, 27 year old, Kris Letang. He’s been in Pittsburgh since the 2006-07 season, when he was just 19 years old. In his ninth NHL season, eighth full season, ‘Tanger’ is showing the entire NHL how valuable he truly is.

Letang is known for having above-average hands for a defenseman as well as his aggressive offensive-minded play, but this year he’s taking it to a new level. For his career Letang has averaged 0.58 points per game, which is an impressive feat for a blue-liner. In 2014-15 he’s averaging an eye-opening 0.88 points per game. That’s tops in the league among defensemen. He has scored 40 points in 45 contests and is on pace to put together his best full season as a pro.

He is on pace to score 67 points in 2014-15. His previous highest point total was 50 in 2010-11. Letang is also on pace to net at least 15 goals this season. The most he’s ever scored in a season is 11, which he did last season. However, in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season he did impressively score 38 points in just 35 games. In 2014-15 he’s reminding everyone why he’s one of the best passers and most fluid skaters in the entire league.

The most incredible statistic from Letang’s season is that he’s assisted on eight of the Penguin’s last nine goals. He’s the hottest player on the Pens’ roster and the most crucial skater at the moment. Pittsburgh has been very injured in 2014-15, but Letang has been the one steady force. Marc-Andre Fleury has been great in net this season, but ‘Tanger’ might still be considered this team’s MVP.

It’s clear to see that Letang’s value extends far beyond his statistics. He averages the most minutes on the ice at 25:11 per game for the Pens. The next closest player to his ATOI is fellow defenseman Paul Martin at 22:32. Letang see’s more minutes than everyone on the Penguins because he’s their most versatile player.

He’s a dominant offensive threat on the power play and has scored 19 points this year (fourth in the NHL for defensemen). Yet, he can kill penalties, too, and has scored one short-handed goal this year as well. The Pens’ defender is also a threat to score in shootout situations with his quick hands.

On top of all of that, Letang is known for answering the bell and fighting if he has to and his teammates love him for that. He can step up and make a big hit, but doesn’t take a ton of penalty minutes. He’s as smart as they come at the blue-line position and he can skate the puck into the zone as good as anyone on the team, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

There truly isn’t anything that Kris Letang can’t–or won’t–do.

It’s not just Letang’s overall production that has people looking his way this year, it’s his efficiency. Eight defensemen have taken more shots than Letang has in 2014-15, but none of them have scored more points than he has. This means that he is making more out of his offensive contributions than any defensemen in the entire NHL, with the exception of the Flames’ Mark Giodano who has taken the same amount of shots (132), but has 43 points on the year.

Fortunately for the Pens, Letangs’s offensive onslaught hasn’t negatively impacted his defense play. He’s helped lead Pittsburgh to a 29-14-8 record (66 points) and a first-place standing in the Metropolitan Division. He’s definitely earned his right to be considered a legitimate leader in Pittsburgh now. He hasn’t sacrificed his responsibilities to make a bigger impact on offense, he’s simply taken on more as he’s done his entire career.

If there’s one thing that no one has ever questioned Letang about, it’s his work ethic.

Letang is one of just eight Penguins left from team that hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2009, but is still a relatively young player. He is a two-time All-Star and he has finished as high as third in James Norris Memorial Trophy voting (2013). He’s definitely on the short list of contenders for this year’s Norris Trophy. Letang has battled injuries in recent years and hasn’t played a full season since 2010-11, but this year looks promising — don’t worry Pens fans, I found some wood to knock on.

Two weeks ago Flyers’ forward Zac Rinaldo boarded Letang in an extremely dirty play. Rinaldo was suspended for eight games, but that did little to ease the minds of Penguins’ fans given the fact that Letang was showing signs of a concussion.

It was particularly worrisome considering Letang’s recent troubles with concussions (not to mention Crosby’s). However, he missed just one game, thanks to the All-Star break, and was back to his usual self a week later.

In my opinion, 2014-15 will be remembered as the year that the Penguins’ star defensemen officially arrived as a leader in Pittsburgh. His dominant play has the Pens’ in first-place and he’s well on his way to his highest point total as an NHL player.

Kris Letang has risen to a new level this season as one of the league’s preeminent defensemen. Few can do what he can with the puck and even fewer are doing it as consistently as he is. Do not be surprised if he gets an ‘A’ stitched onto Penguins sweater in the near future.

He deserves it.

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