"Kris is a little bit curious about where he stands long range in the Penguins' plans," he told TSN Radio. "He has read reports of mine that there are people within the Pittsburgh organization that thought Paul Martin was the better defenceman last year, and there has been a sort of a hesitation on a willingness to commit to him (Letang) to a long-term deal at elite defenceman money.

"I've been told that if the Penguins couldn't reach some sort of understanding with Letang, and the belief was they wouldn't be able to sign him to some sort of deal, that Toronto has emerged as a preferred landing spot - perhaps by Letang. It would be a place that he would be willing, if dealt, to perhaps sign a long-term deal."

Where possible trades are concerned, Letang himself has no final say on who his next team would be. Rossi made it clear, however, that Pittsburgh remains keenly interested in signing Letang to an extension.

"General manager Ray Shero has been very public since the lockout ended that he wants to retain Letang, but the Penguins have committed a lot of money to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and they have also committed no-movement clauses to both of those players," he explained. "They're very deep in their system on defence."

Rossi wasn't done, because he then went on the Fan 590--Toronto's other sports mega-station--and said the same damn thing:

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review makes it crystal clear defenceman Kris Letang’s preference is to stay and play for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Again: He is NOT looking to leave Pittsburgh.

...

But, the sources continued, the Penguins would be seeking an NHL-ready player under contract, at least one top prospect and a potential first round pick.

The Trib’s Rob Rossi was on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Wednesday evening discussing his story. Important to note for Leafs’ fans is that Rossi made sure to reiterate he’s not saying the Leafs have spoken with the Penguins. Also, just because Toronto might be Letang’s preferred destination, that doesn’t mean this trade would happen. The Penguins want something they could be swayed by.

Nonetheless, the days leading up to Sunday’s draft have just become infinitely more interesting for Leafs fans who are already anxiously awaiting Dave Nonis’s next move.

If you want to listen to Rossi's rambles, TSN's podcast feed and the Fan 590's audio on demand page should direct you to his interviews.