Whitney, Letang, and Young Defensemen

As a recent news report made clear, Ryan Whitney was apparently dealing with a foot injury last season. I'd rather not debate the merits or particulars of Whitney playing while injured or the fact that he apparently did not share the details of said injury with the coaching staff. I don't even want to discuss the timing of his surgery (you can check lots of other Penguins sites for discussions/arguments/commentary about each of those issues). Rather, I'd like to discuss how Whitney performed and was treated last season, and then I'd like to turn my eyes upon Kris Letang, who may or may not be asked to step in and fill the void left by Whitney's absence.

First, let's talk about Whitney last season. He wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination. He didn't produce as much offensively as he had the previous season, he didn't play the body as much as is typically expected of a man his size, and he even got called out by Coach Therrien for costing the Penguins a regular season game. And yet Whitney still had a few of those moments that made you pause and see why he'd been given that 24 million dollar contract. His response to being called out by Coach Therrien, for example. Or that wonderful performance in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals--fifty minutes of high quality play to be expected from a top-pairing defenseman.

In contrast to Whitney's virtuoso Game 5 performance, Kris Letang, the other, young, offensive Pittsburgh defenseman, wasn't even dressed for that game. Letang had played solid defensively during the regular season, and he was a regular season shootout star. But the Red Wings took advantage of his inexperience and his youth, and Letang never regained his place in the lineup for the duration of the Cup Finals. And to be sure, it was Letang's first full season out of junior hockey; he's a few years younger than Whitney.

And yet the things Letang and Whitney share (despite how many parties want to dispute which player has more talent, and again, you can read these disagreements/discussions/arguments/conflicts elsewhere) include youth, inexperience, and talent. They're both young players. They're both still relatively inexperienced professionally (Letang, of course, being much greener than Whitney as this juncture of their careers). But the most important trait they share is talent. And the most important thing for the Pittsburgh organization to do is to develop and deploy that talent in a way that will be of the most short and long-term benefit both to the player and to the whole organization.

What does needing to develop Letang in a way that benefits him both now and in the future but also benefits the organization both now and in the future actually look like in reality? Especially given the reality of Whitney's injury? Well, it could mean that Letang gets all of Whitney's power play time. It could mean that Letang is entrusted with more ice time and more responsibilities. It could be that he is set free to roam, to play "his" offensive game, to pinch as needed, and to take risks. And this seems to be what most fans are anticipating. And given their love affair with the shiny Letang (one I shared, and one shared by the Doctor himself, Hockey HOF member Paul Coffey), they expect this to be a good thing.

And who knows. It very well could be a good thing for Letang to assume Whitney's minutes. It could be a great thing for his long-term benefit and development. But in the short-term, as Penguins fans who have watched Whitney throughout his career have to know, and as any fan who's had to watch a young defenseman learn the NHL game, please be aware that when Letang's playing that many minutes, suddenly unprotected, you're no longer going to love him every second. He's going to make mistakes. He's going to have to learn through experience. Hopefully he learns quickly. But no matter how talented he is--and I believe he's very talented--he's not going to have the poise about making the perfect play for that precise situation which he may one day possess.

And, then, when, to protect the team in the short-term, but also to protect Letang's long-term development, the team deploys Darryl Sydor, or someone else, to take some of Whitney's minutes, I'm probably going to have to remind myself to take a deep breath and not to shriek or scream or demand that Michel Therrien get a clue. Because, at some point, Letang may need to watch. The way Whitney needed to watch a penalty kill when he wasn't helping on the penalty kill. I am not saying it will be necessary with Letang, who's obviously a different player than Whitney, but it might be necessary.

It's wonderful, great, and grandiose to expect kids to perform at All-Star levels when they first arrive in the NHL, but truth is, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the exception, not the rule. And for offensive defensemen, honestly, it's twice as hard. They have to find the right mix of creating scoring chances for their own team without allowing the other team scoring chances. Even for kids who possess a skillset that makes Paul Coffey rave, it takes time and development.

So, I guess I want to counsel myself, and like-minded Penguins fans, to have some patience with Letang. To think about both short-term and long-term benefit to the organization and to the player.

Just kindly link to this post the first time I want to scream that Therrien needs to put Letang back at the point on the power play or the first time I want to scream at Letang when he's on the ice for three goals against in a game.

And be aware that many, many other times, will follow after I have my initial screaming/sighing (or more likely in my case blog ranting fit) about Therrien's refusal to use Letang as I feel he should or my frustration with the still-to-be-honed-and-harnessed areas of Letang's game.

In the meantime, enjoy that SCF Game 5 performance of Whitney's, and remember that it came after lots and lots of screaming/blog ranting about both Therrien and Whitney.

Sometimes it does all work out in the end--so hopefully that's the case for Therrien, Letang, and Whitney next season.