Kris Letang is really struggling, and it is becoming a problem

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 30: Stuart Skinner #74 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with Kris Letang #58 after a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 30, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images There are a lot of things to like about the Pittsburgh Penguins right now, and even with Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes they just completed a mostly successful five-game road trip against some of the best teams in the NHL. You would have liked to have seen them hold on to that late lead and defend better on Wednesday, but every point matters and in the context of the road trip as a whole that was a good point to get.

All six of the points they got on that road trip were good points to get. Wednesday’s game did, however, continue to magnify what has become a growing problem for the Penguins this season, and it is the play of defenseman Kris Letang. Like I said here about a week ago, this is a tough spot for the Penguins given what Letang has meant to them for so long.

He is one of the giants in franchise history. Not quite on the Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr level, but definitely just one tier below them. Consistently brilliant, often underappreciated, a three-time champion, the scorer of a Stanley Cup clinching goal, and a wildly accomplished career that arguably makes him the best defenseman in franchise history.

Paul Coffey might have been the best defenseman to ever put on a Penguins sweater, but no defenseman has had a better *career* with the Penguins. He has been a great, great player for a long, long time. But there is a line you have to balance right now between career accomplishment and current value.