Froggy wrote:Letang is flashy and he does the showy stuff really well. It's just that sometimes I think he doesn't have a grasp on the basics.
I have the same thoughts.
That pass in Philly: Letang at his glorious best. The kind of thing that only a rare few players can do.
The mistake turnover on clearing a puck on the PK last nite that led to the (2nd I think) goal: the kind of thing Kris Letang does FAR too often. Plays where he has an opportunity to do BETTER and he flubs it, are a big big problem.
This is why I find it odd that people still talk about him as a Norris candidate. He is not. Even. Close.
While he has fantastic skills, he has too many of those "d'oh" moments where he fails to make basic, solid, shutdown plays. The kinds of plays that players like Lidstrom made nearly all the time. I think Letang has it in him. He is by far the most talented Pens individual D. But for every "Did he just singlehandedly muscle that guy off the puck, spin away, and skate thru 3 guys to clear the zone???" magic play, he has as many "What happened there? He missed a basic pass/clearance/check/pinch/shot" moments. That's why he's been more of a millstone around the neck of the PP than his skillset says he should be.
Until Kris has those mistake moments be a rare exception happening every few games or so... instead of happening every few shifts..... he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in Norris talk.
