Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Alex Pietrangelo

Vegas Working On Nate Schmidt Trade

at CDT | by 27 Comments

7:35PM: Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes that the Panthers have not completed a deal for Schmidt.  Considering their cap situation, a trade of someone making a sizable salary will need to happen before they can finalize any contract with Pietrangelo.

5:59 PM: While the talk the last hour or so has been with the Vegas Golden Knights looking to deal one of their defenseman to the Winnipeg Jets to make room for an Alex Pietrangelo signing, now Fox Sports Andy Strickland reports that Vegas is expected to send defenseman Nate Schmidt and his contract of five years at $5.95MM, is heading to the Florida Panthers. No word yet on the return.

Schmidt has been a big component for the Golden Knights since their inception. The blueliner was one of the Golden Knights selections in the expansion draft and has been one of their top minutes eaters since joining the team. While likely being surpassed as the team’s top defenseman last season by the improved play of defenseman Shea Theodore, Schmidt has been a key face for the Golden Knights franchise and a major locker room presence, going back to the Golden Misfit days. Last year, the 29-year-old blueliner averaged 21:41 of ice time, while posting seven goals and 31 points last year, while providing solid defense for the Golden Knights.

In Florida, Schmidt should immediately fill a significant role for the Panthers that was hurting on the defensive end. Last year, Florida spent significant money on free agent goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who struggled out of the gate, much due to the fact that the Panthers defense was subpar, even under first-year head coach Joel Quenneville. This offseason, Florida has re-tooled their defense, moving multiple players out. The speedy Schmidt should fit in well besides Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, Anton Stralman and newly acquired Radko Gudas and Markus Nutivaara.

Teams are only able to go more than 10% above the Upper Limit during the offseason which is $89.65MM.  Accordingly, this deal will seemingly need to be finalized before Pietrangelo’s contract can be made official.

Vegas Golden Knights Closing On Deal With Alex Pietrangelo

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Vegas Golden Knights are rumored to be close to signing the top unrestricted free agent on the market in defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, who says a deal could be completed as early as tonight. Fox Sports Andy Strickland confirms that the Golden Knights and Pietrangelo are working towards finalizing a contract.

The deal could also coincide with a trade as the Golden Knights, who have already moved out Paul Stastny, are also a likely candidate to move out defenseman Nate Schmidt and his contract, which includes five more years at $5.95MM AAV. It’s likely both moves could be done in tandem with the belief that the Winnipeg Jets might again be part of that package, which would include restricted free agent Jack Roslovic. Even that trade could prove to be complicated as the Jets might be forced to move out a contract in order to take on Schmidt’s contract.

For the Golden Knights, bringing in Pietrangelo would finally give the franchise its first clear cut No. 1 defenseman. The team had tried to pry away Erik Karlsson several years ago at the trade deadline, but failed to pull that trade off. This time, the team is trying to juggle its finances to fit Pietrangelo into their salary cap, which is quite a daunting task.

Pietrangelo has been a stabilizing force the last 11 seasons with the Blues and is coming off an impressive season last year. The 30-year-old had 16 goals and 52 assists in 70 games and another six points in nine playoff games for the Blues, but is probably best known for his defensive abilities, something that could only help Vegas in their quest to win a Stanley Cup in the next couple of years. Vegas also has a major need for a right-handed blueliner as the only right-hander on the team is Zach Whitecloud.

The Golden Knights still have to move out goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and his $7MM AAV contract for the next two years, but with little movement on that front over the last week, the team might be more likely forced to move out one of their pricier defensemen with Schmidt’s salary being the largest at the moment.

Alex Pietrangelo Visiting Las Vegas

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

No, Alex Pietrangelo has not signed with the Golden Knights, at least not yet. He is visiting Las Vegas though. After rumors emerged that Pietrangelo had boarded a private flight headed to Vegas, it was confirmed to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that Pietrangelo is taking a free agent visit with the Golden Knights.

Pietrangelo, our No. 1-ranked UFA, appears to be done in St. Louis. Although Pietrangelo himself never ended talks with his former club, the Blues signed Torey Krug, putting an end to their pursuit of an extension with the captain, much to his surprise. The Calgary Flames, another team expected to be a top player for Pietrangelo, also seems to have moved on, signing Chris Tanev. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs and their limited cap space landed T.J. Brodie, ruling out a homecoming for Pietrangelo. All signs point to the Golden Knights right now.

Of course, Vegas also has cap issues of their own and would be well over the upper limit by signing Pietrangelo. That didn’t stop us from projecting Sin City as his eventual landing spot, but this will not be a cut-and-dry process for the Golden Knights. Pietrangelo also clearly wants to see the city and make sure that he and his family will be comfortable before signing what will very likely be the final contract of his NHL career. This is the first reported UFA visit of the off-season, but Pietrangelo is a player worth the extra time and effort. It remains to be seen whether it pays off for Vegas.

Blues, Alex Pietrangelo Discussing New Deal

at CDT | by 7 Comments

While word emerged last month that the Blues had advised their captain Alex Pietrangelo to test the open market, the two sides have re-engaged in conversations in the hours leading up to the opening of the market, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link).  They have already lost the ability to offer him an eight-year deal, however, and are now capped at offering seven like any other team.

Rutherford cautions that no real progress has been made in talks at this point but it appears that St. Louis is willing to be more flexible in the structuring of their offer.  The team does not offer signing bonuses or no-move clauses but perhaps there is some wiggle room in that area now as they look to make a last-ditch effort to keep Pietrangelo.

With roughly $5MM in cap space to work with, St. Louis would need to clear out some salary to be able to afford to keep the 30-year-old around.  Rutherford reports that it’s believed teams are willing to take on the final year of Tyler Bozak’s $5MM deal but that the Blues would need to provide an incentive to clear out the center.  Justin Faulk’s $6.5MM pact for seven seasons could also be in play but again would require a sweetener to move.  Those options will only likely be considered if St. Louis can keep their top defender in the fold by getting Pietrangelo to sign on the dotted line.

West Notes: Golden Knights, Stars’ Injuries, Coyotes’ Changes, Samberg

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights seem to be a team that is being mentioned in multiple rumors for many pending unrestricted free agents despite having little to no cap room to speak of. The most recent one has the Golden Knights ready to pounce on St. Louis Blues star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who currently isn’t expected to re-sign with St. Louis.

David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal confirms that the Golden Knights are ready to go after the right-shot defenseman, who finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting this year, assuming he reaches free agency on Oct. 9 and the team will deal with the salary cap juggling after that. Much of the reasoning comes from owner Bill Foley’s will to win and spend to the cap ceiling, while other teams are trying to refrain from that.

Of course, if Pietrangelo does opt to return to St. Louis or chooses another destination, the scribe notes there are other options for the team to upgrade on defense in free agency, including a pair of blueliners who spent time playing for head coach Peter DeBoer in San Jose, Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo.

  • ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that the five Dallas Stars’ players who were “unfit to play” for Game 5 are still unfit as of Sunday. Ben Bishop, Roope Hintz, Radek Faksa, Stephen Johns and Blake Comeau are all expected to miss Game 6 on Monday. A new player to monitor, however, will be defenseman Andrej Sekera, who is considered to be a game-time decision, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika. Sekera missed half of the first period and all of the second period after blocking a shot during Game 5 Saturday. He did return for the third period, but forced himself to play through the pain.
  • Coyotes beat reporter Craig Morgan reports that the scouting cleanout in Arizona is continuing. The team, who recently fired scouting director Lindsay Hofford and assistant to the GM Jake Goldberg, has removed two more names in the front office. Phil McRae, director of North American Amateur Scouting and Mat Milbury, an amateur scout, are both no longer with the team.
  • Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Winnipeg Jets defensive prospect Dylan Samberg’s ability to make the NHL squad out of training camp next season could be critical to the team’s playoff chances. Samberg, the 6-foot-4 defenseman out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is believed to be close to NHL ready, but might need more seasoning in the AHL. However, with just four defenseman under contract and little cap room to maneuver with, the scribe believes that the quicker that Samberg can get acclimated to the NHL pace could be critical for the team. While there is little worry about this defensive game, there are questions on how well his offense will translate over.

Morning Notes: Trade Bait, Pietrangelo, Draft Takes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In a normal year, the NHL Entry Draft is usually a hotbed for trading action. The event normally takes place at least a week before free agency opens and brings the front offices of every team in the league into one room at the same time. This year might be different, but thanks to a flat cap and poor financial situations for several teams, the next two weeks may actually have even more trade action. With that in mind, Frank Seravalli of TSN released his latest Trade Bait board, which includes a snippet of each team’s current situation. Matt Murray remains on top of the list, with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford essentially guaranteeing a move before the season begins.

Still, it’s the rest of the board that may draw interest. Nikolaj Ehlers has disappeared from it, for one thing, while Matt Dumba has climbed to the second spot. Stars like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Patrik Laine and Kris Letang all fall in the top-ten, suggesting that it could be more than just depth moves coming around the corner.

  • Interestingly, the negotiating rights for Alex Pietrangelo also found a home on the board, just two weeks before the star defenseman hits unrestricted free agency. Perhaps that’s because of Pierre LeBrun’s latest for The Athletic, where he details the possibility of a sign-and-trade of the St. Louis Blues captain. Of course, these sign-and-trade moves basically never happen in the NHL, even if it could be a beneficial situation for all parties. As LeBrun notes, adding an eighth year onto Pietrangelo’s next contract (which only the Blues can do) would likely serve to reduce the cap hit for a new team. St. Louis could also get an asset out of the deal, but it still seems like a long-shot plan given the rarity of these moves in the hockey world.
  • Of course, in many of the trades made over the next few weeks, there will be a draft pick component as rebuilding squads try to accumulate talent on October 6. Corey Pronman of The Athletic writes about the prospects currently causing the biggest divide among scouts, with quotes from either end of the spectrum. For a player like Kaiden Guhle for instance, who is expected to go in the first round, one scout believes he can play 22 minutes a night in the NHL and the other believes he’s nothing more than a third-pairing defender. Guhle was ranked eighth among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after his breakout season with the Prince Albert Raiders.

NHL Announces First And Second All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Following the announcements of the final five NHL regular season awards, the league also revealed their three all-league rosters: the First-Team All-Stars, the Second-Team All-Stars, and the All-Rookie Team. Below are the 2019-20 honorees:

First All-Star Team (link)

G: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D: John Carlson, Washington Capitals
LW: Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
C: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

The 2020 First-Team All-Stars are a historic group, the first time since the inaugural all-league honors in 1930-31 that all six honorees are first-time members of the team. Unsurprisingly, this team also covers most of the league’s major awards with Draisaitl taking home the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross, Josi winning the Norris, Hellebuyck winning the Vezina, and Pastrnak earning the Rocket Richard.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
D: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins finish with a league-best three players on All-Star rosters. Their division rival, and current Stanley Cup finalist, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other team with more than one inclusion on the all-star rosters. Noticeably absent from either all-star teams are future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. This is just the third time since 2005-06 that at least one of the pair have not been on a postseason All-Star team, while they have both have been selected in the same year eight times in the past 15 years.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G: Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
F: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
F: Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks
F: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie elite, led by Calder Trophy-winner Makar, is an older group than usual. Merzlikins, Olofsson, and Kubalik, all 25 or older, played in Europe for a considerable amount of time before jumping to North America as a polished product, while Makar and Hughes each played a pair of seasons in the NCAA and Suzuki aged out of juniors before turning pro. Nevertheless, the first-year pros were all impressive and still have many  quality years ahead of them.

More On Alex Pietrangelo’s Pending Free Agency

at CDT | by 11 Comments

When news surfaced over the weekend that talks had broken off between the St. Louis Blues and captain Alex Pietrangelo, speculation exploded all over the hockey world trying to figure out where the star defenseman will play next season. Almost every team in the league could use a Norris-level right-handed defenseman who can play in all situations, but the list that could actually fit him into their salary cap structure doesn’t appear to be nearly as high.

That won’t stop fans from trying to find a way (as evidenced by CapFriendly’s Toronto Maple Leafs page getting a surge of traffic) and it won’t stop discussion over what Pietrangelo’s presence would mean to a team looking to change their defensive identity. Toronto, a team that has struggled for ages on the defensive side of the puck, also happens to be where Pietrangelo grew up and is getting plenty of press as a potential destination. Today, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest spoke with Carlo Colaiacovo on TSN radio and gave his thoughts on whether playing in Toronto could excite Pietrangelo:

I think it one-hundred percent does. 

You talk about pulling at the heart strings and the idea of playing there? I think that one-hundred percent exists. Now whether or not they can meet his demands–and again, Toronto is going to be competing with other teams to get his services.

You look at the signing bonus Toronto has paid at some of these other guys including Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. The Blues don’t need to pay that kind of signing bonus money. When we talk about bonus money, he’s not looking for that level of bonus money from a team like St. Louis. But from a team like Toronto? Knowing they can afford to pay that? They’re going to have to pay bonus money in that range.

The entire interview is quite fascinating, given it takes place between someone who covers the Blues closely and someone who is close with Pietrangelo (Colaiacovo also played in St. Louis and was in his wedding party). Still, even with a lot of things pointing to the Maple Leafs entering the race for the pending free agent, it will be a difficult task for them to pull off.

Toronto isn’t in quite as dire of a cap situation as some seem to think, with more than $6MM in space and only two important restricted free agents to sign, but that doesn’t mean adding Pietrangelo is even a good idea. The team already has so much money tied up in the very top-end of their roster that adding another $8MM+ cap hit (the very low-end of what he’s expected to receive on his next deal) could potentially weaken their depth even further.

Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star argued against moving one of the team’s other top players in his latest column and Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has never indicated a willingness to listen on names like Mitch Marner or Morgan Rielly. More likely, a move to land Pietrangelo would come at the expense of some names lower in the lineup like Andreas Johnsson or Alexander Kerfoot.

Past the Maple Leafs, there will be several other teams picking up the phone to contact Pietrangelo and Newport Sports on October 9th. In fact, Strickland suggested today that there actually may be some excitement from the defenseman to see what is out there for him.

I don’t think it truly comes down to the money. It does come down to how the deal is structured. At the end of the day I truly believe that Alex Pietrangelo, the idea of going elsewhere, of entering free agency, I think that excites him. I think he is interested in seeing what else is out there.

There is now less than three weeks until Pietrangelo and the rest of the class can start talking to new teams, when free agency opens on October 9.

Talks Break Off Between Blues And Alex Pietrangelo

at CDT | by 23 Comments

While progress on a long-term deal between the Blues and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo wasn’t being made, some still expected that the two sides would find a way to get a deal done in spite of their salary cap situation.  However, that doesn’t appear to be the case now as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that talks have broken off between the two sides and that the team has advised their captain to test free agency next month.

The 30-year-old is coming off of another fine year that saw him collect 16 goals (a career high) and 36 assists in 70 games before the pandemic shut down the rest of the regular season.  Had the season played out, he easily would have set a new benchmark in points as well as he was two shy of his 54-point campaign in 2017-18.  He logged over 24 minutes a game for the ninth straight year and was a fixture on both special teams units.  In a league where there aren’t many all-around number one defensemen, Pietrangelo is one of them.

It’s that fact that still makes it surprising that he’s set to head to the open market.  While the Blues don’t have the cap space to keep him without making other moves first, they’re the ones that put themselves in that situation after handing Justin Faulk a seven-year, $45.5MM extension upon acquiring him last September while Marco Scandella received a four-year, $13.1MM deal in the early weeks of the pandemic.  Had they not made those moves, they would have had more flexibility in talks with Pietrangelo, albeit with multiple important roster spots to fill.  Now, they have more than $76MM in commitments for 2020-21 already.

While the salary cap will remain flat next season at $81.5MM, it shouldn’t affect Pietrangelo’s market all that much.  Top players are still expected to receive big-ticket contracts and defensemen of his caliber rarely make it to the open market.  Accordingly, there will be plenty of suitors for his services (even if puts them into cap trouble) and he’ll be well-positioned to get significantly more than the $6.5MM he has played under for the last seven years.  Earlier this week, it was reported that Toronto, Vegas, and Florida could all be in the mix although each of those teams would be hard-pressed to make a deal work under their respective salary cap situations.

Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the last offer from St. Louis to Pietrangelo’s camp carried a $7.7MM AAV but did not provide any breakdown with regards to salary/signing bonus structure.  While that’s still a decent-sized raise and would make him the highest-paid player on the team, it’s seemingly well below what he could get in free agency.  That price tag wouldn’t even put him among the top ten in cap hits for blueliners league-wide.  It’s safe to assume that whatever deal he signs will put him among that group.

For St. Louis, their focus will now have to turn to the trade market.  While there can be no conditions attached to a trade contingent on them signing a contract, a team can still trade something for Pietrangelo’s negotiating rights, similar to what Montreal did for Joel Edmundson last weekend.  While a draft pick or prospect is far below his actual value, it’s still better than nothing which is where things appear to be headed now following this news.  In the meantime, other teams will be very intrigued as it looks like a number one defender is set to reach the open market next month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Alex Pietrangelo’s Free Agency

at CDT | by 19 Comments

While an early look at the free agent pool each year often results in wild speculation and amazement at the talent potentially available, by the time the offseason actually rolls around there isn’t a lot to actually choose from. Top names are given huge extensions to stay put or dealt to a contender at the deadline who uses their three-plus months to re-sign the star. That’s why it has always seemed like Alex Pietrangelo’s availability was a bit of a pipe dream for every team other than the St. Louis Blues.

The captain of the reigning Stanley Cup champions, in his prime at age-30, coming off a season where he logged more than 24 minutes a night. It was hard to imagine the Blues letting that go in free agency, but as we now stand in mid-September, Pietrangelo doesn’t have a contract for next season.

Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Pietrangelo called it “a little disappointing” that nothing had been done to this point, and explained “there hasn’t been much in terms of progress” on a new contract. While neither side has ruled anything out—LeBrun even suggests that the Blues will be making another offer soon—the star defenseman has already discussed next steps with his wife should he end up on the open market in a few weeks.

There is no doubt that Pietrangelo is still a game-changing force in the NHL. The Blues captain scored double-digit goals (16) for the fourth straight season and registered 52 points in 70 games. Those 24 minutes a night included more than three on the powerplay and almost two on the penalty kill, coming in as one of the most effective players on the team in both situations. His playoff track record is outstanding, with a league-leading 16 assists last year and another strong performance in the 2020 restart. While he may not be running around hitting opponents, his 6’3″ frame is still more than enough to battle physically when required.

There is a lot to like in Pietrangelo, but that all-around game will also deserve a hefty paycheck wherever he lands. That is likely the sticking point in St. Louis, given the flat salary cap and the fact that the team has already committed $76MM to next season’s roster. Expensive extensions for Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn have eaten up a lot of the room left by Pietrangelo’s expiring contract, though there are obvious ways to create enough money to bring the captain back, if they want to.

Instead, it seems more and more likely by the day that Pietrangelo will be a free agent on October 9th, with LeBrun speculating that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers could all be in the mix given their respective situations. The connection to Toronto has been discussed constantly (Pietrangelo is from King City, just north of Toronto and once played minor hockey with John Tavares), but the Maple Leafs would have to battle a long list of suitors for the 30-year-old’s services.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top