Kris Letang

Letang with the Penguins in February 2008

After beginning the 2007–08 season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Letang was quickly recalled by Pittsburgh after recording seven points in ten games in the AHL. Letang excelled in his rookie season with Pittsburgh and was invited to the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game during All-Star weekend, alongside teammate Tyler Kennedy.[5] He completed the season with 17 points in 63 games, sixth among rookie defencemen. Making his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, Letang helped the Penguins to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in six games by the Detroit Red Wings.

Entering the 2008–09 season, the Penguins' top two defencemen, Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, were both put on the long-term injured reserve, immediately increasing Letang's responsibilities on the team's blueline. He was placed on the Penguins top defensive pairing with Brooks Orpik, replacing Gonchar.[6] The increased playing time resulted in a 10-goal, 33-point season, leading all team defencemen.[7] During the season, Letang was also invited to his second NHL YoungStars Game during the 2009 All-Star weekend in his hometown of Montreal, playing for the Sophomores team.

After the Penguins eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, Letang scored his first career NHL playoff goal in game three of the second round against the Washington Capitals on May 6, 2009, in overtime.[8] Letang's playing status for the game had been uncertain due to a suspected shoulder injury resulting from a Mike Green hit received in Game 3.[9] Nevertheless, his game-winning goal cut the Capitals' series lead to 2–1, helping Pittsburgh overcome the initial 2–0 series deficit and win in seven games. Advancing to the Finals, they met the Red Wings for the second consecutive year. Letang scored one goal in the series, in Game 3, helping the Penguins defeat the Red Wings in seven games. They won the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2009, winning the deciding game 2–1 at the Joe Louis Arena. Letang finished the post-season with 4 goals and 13 points over 23 games.

The following season, Letang recorded a career-low three goals to go with 24 assists. Late in the regular season, Letang signed a four-year contract extension through to the 2013–14 season on March 30, 2010, worth an annual salary of $3.5 million. Entering the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs as defending champions, the Penguins were eliminated in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens. Letang surpassed his regular season goals total with 5 tallies in 13 post-season games, along with two assists for seven points.

Letang competing in the fastest skater event for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game

With the departure of the Penguins' top defenceman, Sergei Gonchar, the following summer, Letang assumed a larger role with the club in 2010–11. Enjoying a career year, he was voted in as a starter for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. With a career-high 50 points (eight goals and 42 assists), Letang finished the season as the second-highest scorer for the Penguins, behind Sidney Crosby. His efforts helped the Penguins to the fourth-best record in the NHL with 49 wins and 106 points despite long-term injuries to the team's top three centres – Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Matching up against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, Pittsburgh lost the series in seven games; Letang had four assists.

On January 23, 2012, Letang made the NHL 2012 All-Star roster as an injury replacement for Dustin Byfuglien, joining teammates Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. In their first round loss to the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers, Letang scored one goal and had two assists [10] while earning a game misconduct in Game 3 for fighting Kimmo Timonen.

On July 2, 2013, Letang signed an eight-year contract with Pittsburgh valued at $58 million that went into effect in the 2014–15 season. Letang played in 34 games in the 2013–14 season before it was announced he would miss six weeks after suffering a stroke.[11] On March 16, 2014, Dan Bylsma, then-head coach of the Penguins, announced Letang was cleared by doctors to return to full practice.[12] Letang's persistence through stroke recovery lead to his being a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2014–15 season. He finished third in voting for the Masterton Trophy, given "to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."[13][14]

Letang (right foreground) celebrates with Jake Guentzel and Nick Bonino after the Penguins won the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals

In the 2015–16 season, Letang was named to play for the Metropolitan Division team in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. He scored the Cup-winning goal in game six of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, against Martin Jones of the San Jose Sharks. He became just the fourth player in NHL history to record a point on all four game-winning goals in the Stanley Cup Finals. He finished fourth in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman, and was named to the end of season second all-star team.[15]

In the 2016–17 season, Letang required neck surgery due to a herniated disk in his neck and did not play in the playoffs.[16] Despite this, his name was added to the Stanley Cup and he received a day with the Cup as well.[17]

On October 6, 2018, in a 5–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Letang recorded his 441st assist, setting a new Penguins franchise record for most points by a defenceman.[18] On February 11, 2019, in a 4–1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, Letang passed Paul Coffey for most goals by a Penguins defenceman.[19]

With his prior eight-year deal concluding at the end of the 2021–22 season, Letang was poised to become an unrestricted free agent, but on July 7 he opted to sign a six-year, $36.6 million extension with the Penguins. The Hockey News remarked that the term ensured that he "will very likely retire as a Penguin."[20] Early into the 2022–23 season, Letang suffered a stroke on November 28, the second of his career. His condition was not believed to be career-threatening, but it was announced that he would be out indefinitely.[21] He was ultimately absent for twelve days, and on December 10 he returned to the lineup, skating 22:14 in a 3–1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.[22] Letang missed further time in January of 2023, following the death of his father, Claude Fouquet, which caused him to leave prior to the 2023 NHL Winter Classic.[23] The Penguins subsequently traveled to Montreal to join him for the wake.[24] On April 2, 2023, Letang became the third player in Penguins history to play his 1,000th NHL game with the team, joining Crosby and Malkin (who also played his 1,000th game earlier that season).[25] Letang ultimately played 64 games, registering 12 goals and 49 assists. In recognition of his performing despite multiple health and familial issues, Letang was named a finalist for the Masterton Trophy for the second time.[14] The season was a disappointment for the Penguins, who missed the playoffs for the first time in sixteen years.[26]