Penguins aggressively working to have agreement in place with Letang by today

LATEST ON KRIS LETANG

The Pittsburgh Penguins want the framework of a deal in place with Kris Letang by today, possibly before Round 1 of the NHL entry draft that begins at 3:00 p.m., sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports.

Pens GM Ray Shero and Kris Letang’s agent Kent Hughes met briefly Saturday afternoon and we’re being told talks intensified late last night after the 10:00 p.m. hour.

The latest numbers being floated around from the Penguins end is Pittsburgh going up to 8 years – $58 million, an AAV of $7.25 million.

If that ends up being the signed contract, Crosby, Malkin and Letang would count for $25.45 million against the cap for 2014-2015. Stay tuned

Notes: The NHL draft is 3:00 p.m. Barring Kris Letang being traded, the Penguins don’t expect to be a part of the first round. The team, though, intends to make a play to get into the second round. Pittsburgh doesn’t pick until the third round, holding picks 77th and 89th overall. The Penguins pick once in the fourth round (119th overall), twice in the sixth round (164th, 179th, and once in the seventh round (209th overall).