Penguins, Letang agree to 8-year extension
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Heading off speculation that he might test his fortunes elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Penguins and defenseman Kris Letang agreed to an eight-year contract extension on Tuesday.
The deal is worth $58 million for the duration, with an average annual value of $7.25 million per season. It will supersede a four-year extension signed back in March of 2010, which carried him through the 2013-14 campaign.
The 26-year-old is coming off a season in which he was a Norris Trophy candidate, tying for the league lead among blueliners with 38 points and topping the list in assists.
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In addition, he set personal postseason bests with 13 assists and 16 points over 15 appearances for the Pens, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
A two-time All-Star selection and 2009 Stanley Cup winner with the franchise, Letang has totaled 44 goals and 165 assists with a plus-42 rating in 385 regular-season games since breaking into the league for the 2006-07 season.
A native of Montreal, Letang ranks second behind only Hall of Famer Larry Murphy on the franchise list for playoff goals (13) and points (47) by a defenseman.