The extra work is something the Penguins have come to expect from Letang, but that doesn't make it any less impressive.
"I think, for me, that's just an indication of [Letang's] competitive level and how much he loves to play the game," Sullivan said. "And that's why I think he's as good of a player as he is. He has that insatiable appetite for the game. I would never discourage that from any of our players and I love that about him, that he wants to be on the ice, he wants to get better."
It would be hard for Letang to top last season, when he set career highs with 16 goals and 67 points in 71 games, and was fourth in the League with an average ice time of 26:56 per game, also a career high.
All that ice time didn't affect him much during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Letang had three goals and 15 points in 23 games, and his average ice time of 28:52 per game was more than anyone who played more than one round in the postseason.
However, things really didn't come together for Letang and the Penguins until Dec. 12, when Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston as coach.
To that point the Penguins were 15-10-3, and Letang had one goal and 14 points in 25 games. He said Johnston's firing provided fresh motivation.
Under Sullivan, Letang had 15 goals and 53 points in 46 games, averaging 27:19 of ice time per game. That's more than one minute per game more than the 26:15 he averaged with Johnston coaching.