Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, seen as the top free-agent prize in the NHL this offseason, signed a seven-year deal worth $8.8 million a year with the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.
The deal, worth an overall of $61.6 million and consisting of a no-movement stipulation, was announced by the group.
Pietrangelos $8.8 million yearly salary-cap struck through 2027– the fifth-biggest cap hit for a defenseman in the NHL– is causing the Golden Knights to shuffle the deck to fit him in. Adding the top free representative available gives Vegas another big-money talent, but the team needed to make another move to shed salary simply to include him under the $81.5 million income cap. Before registering Pietrangelos agreement, the Golden Knights traded defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2022 third-round pick, clearing his $5.95 million cap struck off the books.
After currently sending center Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets, the group most likely requirements to make another relocation, such as trading goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, to be cap-compliant when next season begins.
2 RelatedPietrangelo was prepared fourth overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2008. They are the only NHL team for which he has actually played, with Pietrangelo working as their captain because 2016 and helping the team to its first Stanley Cup in 2019.
Pietrangelos time with the Blues was effectively over after they signed free-agent defenseman Torey Krug, formerly of the Boston Bruins, to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract Friday.
” We had some actually good conversations and we simply couldnt get anything done,” said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who stated the team offered Pietrangelo a maximum-length, eight-year agreement extension. “Theres no bad or great person in this. Its simply the company side of it.”
The Blues formerly used Pietrangelo an average yearly salary of $8 million at differing lengths of a deal, consisting of an eight-year contract. Pietrangelo reportedly wanted a no-movement stipulation and finalizing perk constructed into the latter years of the contract in case his deal was purchased out.
The 30-year-old had a career-high 16 goals plus 36 helps in 70 games during the 2019-20 routine season and one goal and five assists in 9 postseason video games as the Blues were removed in the Western Conference quarterfinals by the Canucks. He completed 4th in Norris Trophy voting and is one of the very best right-shooting defensemen in the league.
Pietrangelo has 109 goals and 341 assists for 450 points in 758 regular-season NHL games. He had a postseason-best 16 assists and averaged nearly 26 minutes of ice time during the Blues Cup run.
” He has been a stalwart player for us, for this group for a variety of years,” Armstrong stated. “A big part of a championship-caliber team. Hes going to go down so far as one of the finest Blues ever.”
Information from ESPNs Greg Wyshynski and The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
Pietrangelos $8.8 million annual salary-cap struck through 2027– the fifth-biggest cap hit for a defenseman in the NHL– is triggering the Golden Knights to shuffle the deck to fit him in. Including the top free agent offered provides Vegas another big-money talent, but the group required to make another relocation to shed salary just to add him under the $81.5 million salary cap. Before registering Pietrangelos contract, the Golden Knights traded defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2022 third-round pick, clearing his $5.95 million cap hit off the books.
” We had some truly excellent conversations and we just could not get anything done,” said Blues general supervisor Doug Armstrong, who said the team used Pietrangelo a maximum-length, eight-year contract extension.
