By Jordan Long
The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to improve in 2021. They ended the season at 39-24-8 for a total of 86 points. Vegas was in the round-robin to determine the top 4 seeds in the Western Conference and they went 3-0 in those games to take the top spot in the West. Unfortunately, their year ended in the Western Conference Finals losing to the Dallas Stars in 5 games.
The Golden Knights knew to become a better playoff team, the blue line needed to improve. They didn’t have a defenseman who could play the point on the power play. That was a big need in the offseason. They think they have fixed that with the signing of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo who agreed to a massive 7-year, $61.6 million contract, averaging $8.8 million a year.
Pietrangelo played 12 NHL seasons, all with the St. Louis Blues. In those years he became one of the top scoring defensemen in the NHL. His best season with the Blues came in 2018 when Pietrangelo scored 15 goals and added 39 assists for a career high 54 points. Last year, Pietrangelo lit the lamp 16 times with 36 assists for a total of 52 points. 6 of those goals were on the power play. In his career, he scored 109 goals and 341 assists for a total of 450 points.
Pietrangelo appeared in 92 playoff games for the Blues. St. Louis even captured the Stanley Cup in 2019. In those playoff games, Pietrangelo had 8 goals and 43 assists.
The Blues tried to keep Pietrangelo, but he declined their offer. Vegas decided to take the gamble of a long-term contract with him.
According to Yahoosports.com, Pietrangelo said, “I welcome the challenge. I welcome something new. I think it’s going to push me to become a better player. I think it’s going to hopefully get me outside my comfort zone to certainly try something that I’ve never done before. This is a good team, and I think I can really help.”
Pietrangelo should be able to help Vegas win. On defense, he is a tough defenseman who is going to check opponents to end scoring chances. He will even use his body to block shots so the puck won’t end up on the net.
On offense, he sets up near the blue line and uses his one-timer. Those shots are either goals or rebound chances for his teammates to find the puck to put it in the back of the net. If he doesn’t score, he will pass to a teammate for them to have a chance to light the lamp. He could be a once in a lifetime defenseman for Vegas.
The problem is the length of the deal. 7 years is a long time to commit to him. When the agreement is in its’ last year Pietrangelo will be 37. Who knows where his game will be by then. It is also possible that if things start to go downhill, Vegas could trade Pietrangelo but the tricky part is he has a “no-movement” clause. This means Pietrangelo can not only turn down a trade but he can’t be waived either. Hopefully, Pietrangelo helps the Knights win and they go far in the postseason, maybe even winning a Cup or two.
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