Alex Pietrangelo is growing concerned. While he admits a lot can get done in crunch time, he’s well aware that NHL free agency is only a few weeks away (October 9) and the lack of extension talks between the St. Louis Blues and his agent has him wondering.
The highly-coveted defenseman spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and mentioned that he’s disappointed in how things have gone so far. Whether that’s legitimate concern that he might not stay with the Blues (which is his priority) or he’s setting the table to a potential move by suggesting the Blues have not been terribly aggressive in trying to extend him, something in St. Louis seems off.
Pietrangelo explained:
“It’s been a little disappointing that we haven’t been able to get a deal done, obviously. But this is the situation that we’re in, we’re over three weeks away from Oct. 9. There hasn’t been a whole lot of discussion where things are at. We’ll see if things pick up here shortly. There hasn’t been much in terms of progress.
Of course, Pietrangelo doesn’t have to sign exactly on October 9. He can wait and see how the market shapes out, as can the Blues. But, in an offseason where things are going to be quite unique, it might not be best for either side to play with fire.
The market on defenseman may wait but only for so long since the NHL is looking to get things started much more quickly than they typically would. No doubt, Pietrangelo probably feels a little sense of urgency.
Pietrangelo Has His Backup Plans Worked Out
From the sounds of it, a nervous Pietrangelo is not a good thing for the Blues. The defenseman explained:
My wife and I have thought hard about this throughout the year and especially now that we’re at this point. We have an idea of what we want to do if things get to that point. We’re on the same page, which is good. We see things the same way. We’ll see where it goes the next couple of weeks.
Pietrangelo did note that things can get done quickly and pointed to Steven Stamkos signing last minute with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he seems to know what he wants to do, and perhaps where he and his wife would like to go if staying in St. Louis isn’t an option.
What might his back-up plans be?
LeBrun listed the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers and potential landing spots.
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