NHL Free Agency: 3 teams who should sign Alex Pietrangelo
2. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights could be looking to make a huge splash this offseason. They’re reportedly trying to trade Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a $7 million cap hit. Part of it is because they’re hoping to re-sign Robin Lehner. But maybe another reason why is because they want to clear some cap space.
If you look at the Golden Knights blueline, they have a quality group of defensemen. There’s just one thing they lack – a bonafide, top of the line shutdown defenseman. Brayden McNabb has been impressive next to Nate Schmidt, but he’s not ideal in that role. Pietrangelo would be the perfect fit.
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Also, if Pietrangelo wants to make money, Vegas is a pretty darn good place to do it. Along with Texas and Florida, there are not taxes in Nevada. The Dallas Stars can’t afford Pietrangelo, the Florida Panthers are a mess and probably can’t afford him, and the Tampa Bay Lightning have way too many cap woes to even consider signing him. This leaves the Golden Knights with a pretty distinct advantage if Pietrangelo wants money.
St. Louis has become home for the Blues captain. Vegas isn’t too far away from Missouri. That’s another advantage the Golden Knights have over other teams. It would take some fancy cap maneuvering to pull off, but owner Bill Foley has proven he’s willing to pump as much money into his team as they need to become Stanley Cup contenders.