- Rob Rossi: Penguins GM Ray Shero met with Kris Letang’s agent yesterday morning. No numbers were changed. Will meet again.
- David Pollak: Pollak thinks that if the Penguins put Letang on the market, the Sharks could call to see what the asking price his. Pollak adds that if reports of five year and $6 million a year won’t keep him in Pittsburgh, unlikely that the Sharks go much more than that.
- Helene St. James: The Red Wings are looking for a top-three defenseman, but the cost to acquire Letang and then the cost to keep him would be high. Letang may be looking for $7 million a year, which may not fit in with the contracts of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall and Howard.
- The Fourth Period: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review noted that Letang may be looking for $7 million, with the Penguins hoping for something closer to $6 million. If Letang holds firm, they might look to trade him. The Penguins don’t have to trade this summer, holding on to him and taking their chances during the season. If they could find a middle ground, they may have to trade out other players to fit the money in.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Letang’s agent, Kent Hughes and Ray Shero yesterday:
“We’ve agreed to have further talks,” agent Kent Hughes told ESPN.com after the meeting. “Not going to say more at this time.”
“He’s a very valuable player for our team, and ideally I’d like to sign him and get him extended,” Shero told a media scrum after the GMs’ meeting. “But we’ll see where that goes over the next few days and weekend, so we’ll see.”
“I think there’s a lot of speculation if we can’t have a deal next week what might happen,” Shero said. “But I can’t go that far. He’s under contract for another year. I think when we get into next week, we’ll cross that bridge and see what happens. But my focus is going to be trying to sign him.”
