Rumor: Letang situation forcing Penguins into trade talks

Pittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Kris Letang looks strong on the ice, but fans know he has had his share of bad luck when it comes to his health. Letang has battled through numerous injuries and a career-threatening event throughout his career such as a stroke, concussions, knee problems, and most recently a herniated disk in his neck.

So far this season, he has not missed one game, but he has been taking on a huge workload on the Pens’ roster, especially with all the injuries hurting the blueline. Both Matt Hunwick and Justin Schultz are out of the lineup with concussions…

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that Pens GM Jim Rutherford wants to ease his workload to ensure nothing bad happens this time around to his star defender. Now Schultz has started skating again and a healthier roster will address that issue,  but Rutherford could choose to shop around to bring immediate help until the end of the season. 

Though, Rutherford admitted that he is not feeling any pressure to make trades, he has already been active on the market this season and might want to bring better help to his netminder Matt Murray and his different backups… 

The Edmonton Oilers have said to be willing to trade Matt Benning, and the Detroit Red Wings are using defender Mike Green as trade bait. Is it also known that the Vegas Golden Knights are still shopping their blue line and that the Los Angeles Kings might be looking to trade Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin. 

However, there is competition to land a good defenseman: the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals have been calling around to make a move to bolster their back end.