St. Louis Blues: Alex Pietrangelo to test the free agent market
By Emmanuel D
The St. Louis Blues are reportedly going to let their team captain Alex Pietrangelo hit free agency.
Just one night before the Stanley Cup Finals begin, the offseason for the eliminated teams is underway. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, contract talks that were taking place between the St. Louis Blues and their captain Alex Pietrangelo have broken off. As a result, the Blues organization have advised Pietrangelo to test the free agent market.
Alex Pietrangelo is coming off a seven-year, $45.5 million dollar contract and is a pending UFA. In that span, Pietrangelo led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup victory in 2019.
Unfortunately, the Blues were unable to go on a second run, as they were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Are the St. Louis Blues Entirely Out of the Running?
Short answer, no. While the scoop from Darren Dreger is a notable bombshell, not all hope is lost for the St. Louis Blues and their fanbase who went to see their captain and star defenceman return. Jeremy Rutherford, a St. Louis Blues writer for The Athletic, spoke to Alex Pietrangelo himself to shed some light on the recent news.
I just hung up with Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. He believes he’s headed to the market, but he has not ruled out a deal with the Blues. @DarrenDreger reported that sources tell him that talks have broken off and the Blues have told Pietrangelo to pursue free agency. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) September 18, 2020
Alex Pietrangelo does in fact believe that he will headed to the free agent market. However, their is still the possibility that he resigns with the St. Louis should they come to a deal that satisfies both sides. Jeremy Rutherford also reported on one of the contracts offered to Pietrangelo.
The Blues’ current offer is $7.7 million AAV, but Pietrangelo has been asked to accept the AAV without knowing the structure of the deal. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) September 18, 2020
It is not surprising to see contract talks having broken off when considering the aforementioned offer. An AAV of $7.7 million is a $200,000 increase, which may not sit well with Pietrangelo, as it is likely not the raise he was anticipating.
On the other hand, the fact that the structure of the deal was not disclosed creates an element of uncertainty for a player looking to sign what is the biggest contract of his career.
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Darren Dreger also weighed on the matter, mentioning that contract talks were not going the way that either of the two sides wanted. Testing the the market would grant Alex Pietrangelo to further gauge his value, something the St. Louis Blues will keep an eye on if they are still in the running.
Testing the Market
Due to the recent news, Alex Pietrangelo skyrockets to the top of the NHL’s list of unrestricted free agents, joining the likes of Taylor Hall of the Arizona Coyotes and Torey Krug of the Boston Bruins.
Should he not resign with the St. Louis Blues, there is a ton of speculation as to where Pietrangelo may end up. Many have speculated that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be a landing spot. However, it may take a masterclass in cap management by General Manager Kyle Dubas to make it work and if they did, would likely lead to having $50 million of the salary being taken up by five players
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NHL Free Agency is set to begin on October 9th and while things may change from now until then, for the time being, there is the possibility that Alex Pietrangelo will don a sweater that does not belong to the St. Louis Blues.