Letang looks to regain form for Penguins next season

CRANBERRY, Pa. --Kris Letang doesn't need to be told he had a disappointing season. He'll tell himself.
"At the end of the day, it is what it is. I have to be better," the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman said. "I don't even have to hear about it. I know when I played well. I know when I don't and when I made mistakes."

The 31-year-old wasn't satisfied with how he performed this season after returning from neck surgery April 13, 2017. Letang was fourth on the Penguins, and first among their defensemen, with 51 points (nine goals, 42 assists) in 79 games. Those numbers weren't a concern, but other parts of his game were.

Coming back from the surgery proved to be more difficult than Letang, regarded as one of the best-conditioned Penguins, anticipated. For eight months, he was unable to exercise the way he normally would, which created a tough transition once he was back on the ice.
"I thought I was going to be fine," Letang said. "I thought I was going to get over the hump maybe in the first few weeks of the season. It didn't happen that way. It took a little bit more time."
Letang said he didn't notice his skills diminish but said he would find himself tired during the second game of a back-to-back. That led to some frustration, which further hindered his game.
"I think that was a little bit of the story of my first half," he said. "It was one good game, one bad game. It was tough to build, because you just remember the bad ones."
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan also noticed Letang's inconsistency but still regarded him as one of the best at his position in the NHL.
"[Letang] is an elite defenseman," Sullivan said. "I think when you look at what he's had to overcome to play this season, it was a big challenge. … He had some stages in the year where he was really good for us. He had some other stages where he wasn't at his best. It was more just his consistency of play.
"But by no means does it diminish what we think of Kris as a player. He's an elite defenseman, and he still is. So he had a particular challenge this year that most players don't have to go through."
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby doesn't doubt Letang will return to form next season.
"I think the injury that he had to overcome and what he was able to do this year was pretty incredible," Crosby said. "So I think that he's a competitive guy. I know that nobody likes to have a long summer. He'll be ready to go next year."

But Letang couldn't get past blaming himself for forcing that long summer upon the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. To him, one play stood out.
"The only one I have in my mind right now is Game 5," Letang said. "I made a mistake and cost us the game."
With the Penguins leading 3-2 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Washington Capitals, and the best-of-7 series tied 2-2, Letang drifted to the left side of the ice leaving the other half vacant for Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov to drive through. Kuznetsov scored 52 seconds into the third period, and Pittsburgh lost 6-3 before a 2-1 overtime loss, on another goal by Kuznetsov, in Game 6 to end the series.
"I had good moments," Letang said. "I had good moments against [the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference First Round]. It was an intense series. I had good moments, too, against [Washington]. But in my mind right now, I just see [Game 5] as a problem."
With his 12th NHL season complete, Letang said he would spend the next few weeks decompressing. He'll then use the summer to train and get back to where he feels he used to be physically.
The Penguins don't doubt Letang can do it. Neither does he.
"I sacrifice everything for this team," Letang said. "My only goal is to spend the rest of my career here. So that's all I can say."