Surprising contender enters Kris Letang sweepstakes as defenseman could test the market

It was reported earlier this week that the Pittsburgh Penguins have already made Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin offers. It was a well-known fact that both players were playing on the final year of their contracts, and it was revealed that the team has already reached out to Malkin and Letang with offers, but not appealing ones, both offered three-year contracts at $5 million AAV.

Talk about low-ball offers…

While both Malkin and Letang have mentioned more than once the desire to remain in Pittsburgh, it might just be impossible for the Penguins to hold on to them. And if that’s the case, the latter is being targeted by a surprising contender out there.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Seattle Kraken is very interested in adding on Letang’s services to its roster. Friedman believes GM Ron Francis will be very agressive to get his hands on the 35-year-old defenseman, who has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. Team management would like to add an offensive punch, both on offense and on the back end, and Letang, as well as defenseman John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars, could be at the top of Francis’ list of targets.

If that were the case, the Kraken has distinct advantage over most teams seeing that Seattle holds a ton of room on the cap therefore begin in top position to offer the best contract in these sweepstakes.

Letang posted 10 goals and 58 assists for 68 points in 78 games this season. He added a goal and four points in seven playoffs games before Pittsburgh was eliminated in the first round by the New York Rangers.

There is a strong belief that Letang is looking to get better salary than the 7.25 million dollars he is currently making: let’s see if he will get greedy and let himself be tempted by a more lucrative contract, possibly in Seattle.