NHL Rumors: Insider claims $36,600,000 Penguins franchise icon remains 'unmovable' despite questions surrounding his future

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a strange situation. General manager Kyle Dubas is attempting to retool his roster and get a younger team in place while the veteran core continues to age. His goal is to have the Penguins return to contention as soon as possible, but as of right now, it's hard to see that coming to fruition.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have all reiterated their desire to retire in Pittsburgh. While Crosby is still playing at a superstar level, Malkin has dealt with injuries and a dip in production, and Letang has really started to struggle.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Josh Yohe reported that the coaching staff had grown "incredibly frustrated" with Letang's level of play. He also shared some interesting details about Letang's future with the team.

Letang has three years remaining on the six-year, $36,600,000 contract extension he signed with the Pens in 2022.

"First off, Letang has a full no-trade clause," Yohe wrote. "It’s not entirely clear if Letang would be willing to waive his clause to play for another team. Penguins president Kyle Dubas probably couldn’t trade him even if he wanted to. Team sources said Letang is “unmovable."

The Penguins would like to lessen the burden on Kris Letang next season

The 2024-25 campaign was one of the worst of Kris Letang's illustrious career.

The 38-year-old posted 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 74 games and had a -15 rating. Those 30 points were his lowest mark since the 2013-14 season, where he played only 37 games.

According to Yohe, the Penguins believe reducing Letang's minutes and potentially placing him in a third pairing role would improve his play. Whether the future Hall-of-Famer would be willing to cooperate is the big question.

Kris Letang will almost certainly remain a Pittsburgh Penguin heading into next season. But if he does, there may need to be difficult conversations between him and the organization moving forward.