With Sidney Crosby’s contract extension confirmed this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins can focus on preparing for the 2024-25 season and their players, including Kristopher Letang, say they are very happy to be back at work.
In the case of the 37-year-old Quebec veteran, the question of his desire to stay in Pennsylvania was even more worthy of being asked, because last month, a Pittsburgh journalist (Mark Madden) reported that the defenseman had demanded a trade sending him to the Montreal Canadiens.
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Now, The Athletic website – through Rob Rossi – wanted to get a response from the player concerned. And it was clear and limpid.
“People talked about this? They didn’t discuss it with me. […] “I didn’t ask for a trade,” he said bluntly.
So Letang dismissed any speculation about his hypothetical dissatisfaction. According to him, it’s all false, despite the club’s last two playoff exclusions. The holder of a contract valid until 2028 does not regret his decision to continue his association with the Penguins, even if the arrival of Erik Karlsson last year took away his position as the main quarterback on the power play.
“Every year will be different. In the National League, we always say that a two-week window can change a lot of things for an organization. That’s the way it is. We made changes. It was frustrating for everyone to see that it didn’t pick up last season. At the end, we were 24 hours away from qualifying and we missed it,” he said. “Yes, it was frustrating.”
Crosby, a machine
Letang also feels privileged to play alongside Crosby, who signed a two-year contract extension. In fact, the rearguard believes that if the number 87 wants it, he will be using his talents on the ice for a very long time.
“He can play until he’s 50. But at the end of the day, it’s still his decision,” he told reporters Wednesday. “His body isn’t deteriorating. He’s relying on the same power, the same strengths. And on top of that, he’s still ahead of everyone because of his head, his mind, his IQ. So even if he starts to slow down one day, he’ll still be ahead of everyone because of the way he sees the game.”
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