Could the Montreal Canadiens be looking to acquire Kris Letang?
According to a recent report, the Habs and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been discussing trades for the veteran defenceman.
On the Breakfast with Benz podcast last week, Pittsburgh sports journalist Mark Madden touched on the uncertainty surrounding Penguins captain Sidney Crosby’s future, as his contract extension remains unresolved. During the conversation, Madden casually mentioned that Letang, Crosby’s longtime teammate, might have requested a trade to the Canadiens.
“I heard there were discussions to try to bring Letang to Montreal at Letang’s request, but nothing came of it,” he said.
Letang, 37, has spent the entirety of his illustrious career with the Penguins. But coming to Montreal for the final years as an NHLer makes sense for multiple reasons.
Firstly, he’s a Quebec native and a lifelong Habs fan. And with his former agent, Kent Hughes, now acting as the team’s GM, there are also personal connections behind the scenes.
In fact, Letang skated with a few Canadiens players at the CN Sports Complex, standing out like a sore thumb in black gear and a neutral red jersey, ahead of training camp last September.
Pendant que les recrues font leurs tests physiques, les réguliers s’entraînent sur la glace à Brossard.
Avec un intrus…#Habs #Canadiens #CH #Canadien pic.twitter.com/YaFjWFRWNU— RaphaĂ«l Doucet (@raphdoucet) September 13, 2023
As for the Penguins, who are projected to be the oldest NHL team (30.9 years) at the start of the 2024-25 season, it’s no secret that GM Kyle Dubas is trying to bring in some young blood.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens seem to be dealing with the opposite problem as they attempt to navigate their growing surplus of young defencemen.
Nevertheless, Montreal is not yet in a “win now” window. And so, they would likely only be interested in acquiring the three-time Stanley Cup champion if the price doesn’t include any of their major building blocks.
Still, despite his age, Letang shows few signs of slowing down. The Montreal native is coming off a 2023-24 campaign that saw him net 10 goals and 51 points over 82 games.