Report: Penguins do not intend to trade Letang

Put the phone down, rival general managers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have no plans to deal top defenseman Kris Letang, sources told Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

Reports surfaced that the Penguins could consider moving the blue-liner in an effort to shake things up, with the club currently sitting three points outside of a playoff spot.

However, according to Yohe, it does not appear Letang will be used as the bargaining chip to improve the Penguins. The defenseman sits fourth in team scoring with 25 points in 37 games.

With the Feb. 26 trade deadline approaching, general manager Jim Rutherford has little time to fix a club that has won the last two Stanley Cups. Should the Penguins miss the postseason, they'll be the first defending champions to do so since the Los Angeles Kings failed to qualify in 2015.

As for Letang, he was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a lower-body ailment. The injury-riddled blue-liner missed the entirety of the playoffs last season after he underwent neck surgery.

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