Kris Letang and the exact moment he gave up on his dream of completing his career in Montreal
Over the past few days, we’ve learned that Kristopher Letang has asked the Pittsburgh Penguins to trade him to Montreal – and Charles-Alexis Brisebois has rightly written a piece that boils down to ” no touching”.
And that’s true. But let me step back in time for a bit more context on the decision that altered the possible arrival with the Habs of a homegrown star who wore Habs pajamas when he was a kid.
It’s March 2022.
In recent weeks, Kristopher Letang’s name has become increasingly associated with the Montreal Canadiens.
The year ended with a striking quote, as Renaud Lavoie, co-host of a podcast with the Penguins defenseman, exclaimed “Lord of God, I can’t wait to see Letang in the blue, white and red”.
A month later, a Pittsburgh journalist stipulated that no one would be surprised if the Québécois considered an offer from the Flanelle.
One of our colleagues even claimed to have been informed of mutual interest in March.
All indications are that an alliance between Kristopher Letang and his former agent, Kent Hughes, could well have materialized.
Yet, on July 7, 2022, #58 appeared at a press conference – at the Bell Centre! – to announce a new six-year, $36.6 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It may well have been at that very moment, in front of the Montreal media, that Kris Letang’s dream of wearing a Montreal Canadiens uniform came to an end.
The other Québécois defenseman who muddies the waters
When a possible acquisition of Kristopher Letang was discussed on the free agent market, it was conditional on Jeff Petry’s departure on the trade market.
Nine days later, Kent Hughes is on the move. Petry packs his sh- stock and heads to… Pittsburgh… for another Québécois defenseman, Michael Matheson.
And it’s this same Michael Matheson, who has scored 96 points in 130 games in Montreal on the Habs’ top pair since then, who makes Letang’s acquisition simply not an option – and that’s before we even talk money and terms.
Matheson will earn $4.875 million for the next two seasons, after which he will turn 32. The Habs can then decide, depending on the development of their affiliate’s Hutson, Mailloux and Reinbacher, whether his services will be retained at a reasonable price or whether they will vacate a spot (and nearly $5 million off the books) on July 1, 2026.
This situation is far too advantageous for the Habs. While its young backs are coming into their own, a 30-year-old French-speaking defenseman who can rack up 62 points in a single season contributes to the transition while not being a long-term salary burden.
With Guhle, Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher, Xhekaj, Barron, Harris and company already struggling to figure out their roles over the next two years, the addition of a Kris Letang would go completely against Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s plan.
But let’s not forget that, initially, Letang was seen as the man who could pass the torch to the Habs’ new generation of young defensemen.
In the media, the idea of signing #58 so that he could accompany the prospects in their development was a tempting one.
I’m not blaming Letang, because in reality, we don’t know how far the discussions went or who pulled the plug. But that’s not what happened.
For a better chance of winning
At his press conference at the Bell Centre, Kris Letang expressed his love for the Penguins, who gave him his first chance. It would be innocent not to understand, 16 seasons and three Stanley Cup rings later.
That said, he also signed his less lucrative contract to “allow the Penguins to sign other players and remain competitive”.
The Québécois was referring to Evgeni Malkin, who was also negotiating a contract with the Penguins, and who seemed on the verge of testing the free agent market. After an offer described as disrespectful, Malkin had texted ” They not think I good player” to Sidney Crosby and ” They not want me” to Letang, who had joined the effort to convince him to stay in Pittsburgh.
Mark Madden, the same journalist who linked Letang to the Habs in the last few days, also reported a possible departure of Malkin before the end of his contract in the summer of 2025. Although Malkin denied it, you never know what might happen with the Penguins’ core on the verge of exploding.
Remember that Gino also texted ”We win next year, big year bring back Cup” to Crosby and Letang, after signing his contract.
Speaking of which…
78 wins in 2 seasons (164 games).
The Penguins missed the playoffs by 1 point in 2023.
And through that, the team added another star, Erik Karlsson…
Before missing the playoffs by 3 points in 2024.
It’s hard to imagine a worse end for a core that once dominated the NHL, but now struggles to play more than 7 games in April.
If Letang really did choose a return to Pittsburgh from a relatively equivalent offer from the Habs… Does he regret the turn of events? Does he dream of a parallel universe in which he can take advantage of the team’s emerging youth to open a new window of opportunity for a fourth Cup, at age 39, in Montreal?
