PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 13: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) waits for play to begin during the third period in Game Six of the First Round in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 13, 2022, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The New York Rangers avoid elimination with 5-3 win.

Penguins, Letang agree to 6-year, $36.6M contract

4 years ago
Icon Sportswire / Getty

Kris Letang isn't going anywhere.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their stalwart defenseman agreed to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $6.1 million.

Letang would've been the top unrestricted free-agent defenseman had he decided to test the open market. The 35-year-old posted a career-high 68 points last season and finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting.

It was previously reported that Letang was seeking a five-year deal with a cap hit north of $8 million, so it appears he may have taken a lower AAV in order to get extra term. His previous contract carried a cap hit of $7.25 million.

Letang's new contract will keep him in Pittsburgh through his age-40 campaign. The three-time Stanley Cup champion ranks fifth in Penguins history with 650 points, trailing only Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jaromir Jagr.

The Penguins now have $15.3 million in projected cap space. Their priority will now shift to re-signing Malkin, but Rickard Rakell is also a UFA, and Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen are RFAs.

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