Penguins' Letang isn't concerned about concussions

Defenseman Kris Letang watched helplessly from the press box as the Pittsburgh Penguins made a hasty exit in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Nursing a concussion, Letang saw his team post a 2-4-1 mark in the final seven contests of the regular season before bowing in five games to the top-seeded New York Rangers. Now healthy, the 28-year-old looks to contribute in the upcoming season while remaining aware of all that can happen in hockey.

"Every time you get on the ice, it's dangerous," Letang told the team's website. "You can get a concussion at any time, it can be from a check or you can just fall awkwardly like I did. When we decided to be hockey players when we were 16 with contact, you accepted the risk of getting a concussion."

Letang matched a career high with 11 goals and set personal bests with 43 assists and 54 points last season for the Penguins, who were decimated by injury.

"We've often been blamed for lacking depth, but I think we have a very deep team now up front and we have good balance in the style of players we have," Letang said. "We have scorers, workers, energy guys. I think we've improved enormously."

Pittsburgh has been quite busy this summer, most notably acquiring five-time 30-goal scorer Phil Kessel from Toronto. The Penguins have also secured the services of forward Nick Bonino in a trade with Vancouver and added veteran centers Matt Cullen and Eric Fehr as free agents.

(h/t Pittsburgh Penguins)