“Obviously, I want to stay a Blue. Of course I do,” Pietrangelo said.
The defenseman, who has played his 12-season NHL career with the Blues, can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
“It’s the only place I’ve known in professional hockey,” Pietrangelo said. “Legacy is obviously important. This organization means a lot to me. You see Al [MacInnis] come around, you see all the other alumni who are around regularly. That means a lot, right? It’s guys who have a great relationship with the organization that have been around and have set their roots in St. Louis.
“But whether it’s here or somewhere else, you want to play to the best of your ability and leave a legacy wherever you are. That goes along with on the ice and off the ice and try to impact the organization in the community. So, whether it’s here or anywhere else, I think it’s important for me to really kind of set my roots wherever it is, and I know my wife feels the same way.”
Video: STL@VAN, Gm4: Pietrangelo nets power-play goal
The 30-year-old from Ontario, who played the final season of a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed Sept. 13, 2013, said he doesn’t know when his situation will be resolved, mostly because the NHL calendar was altered because of the pause in the season due to the coronavirus.
“None of us really planned for this. The League didn’t plan for this, I didn’t plan for it, [Blues general manager Doug Armstrong] didn’t plan for it,” Pietrangelo said. “We’re just going to kind of sit tight until we have a conversation with [Doug] or we wait until [the start of free agency]. We’re not really worrying about so much as much as we are just kind of taking things in stride right now because it’s an odd circumstance for everybody.”
The defending Stanley Cup champions entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the West after going 0-2-1 in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers. They were eliminated in six games by the No. 5 seed Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference First Round. The lasting image of the elimination game was Blues forward David Perron putting his arm around Pietrangelo when they skated off the ice.
“I remember the moment,” Pietrangelo said. “I guess when the game’s over and I’m thinking the situation that I’m in, I know David and I are really close friends. I appreciated it. I think he understood what I was thinking at the time. I don’t know, it might be the last time I wear the [Blues] jersey and last time I play with him too.”
Pietrangelo, who has 450 points (109 goals, 341 assists) in 758 regular-season games and 51 points (eight goals, 43 assists) in 92 postseason games, scored an NHL career-high 16 goals this season and tied Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators for second among defensemen, behind Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets (20). Pietrangelo’s 52 points were sixth among defensemen.
“[Pietrangelo is] our leader, probably our best player most nights with [center Ryan] O’Reilly,” Perron said. “The way he played this year with this whole situation was extremely impressive. We play our whole careers to win the Cup. I think he wants to feel like he’s respected. He wants to feel like he gets his share of things. I think he deserves it too.”
Video: STL@ANA: Pietrangelo hammers one-timer home for PPG
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is among those who would like to see Pietrangelo back.
“[Alex is] a pretty dynamic player at both ends of the ice,” Binnington said. “He’ll score a big goal, he’ll be out there last minute of the game competing. He works hard. He’s a big player for us, one of the best players in the NHL.”
Binnington was 0-5-0 with a 4.72 goals-against average and .851 save percentage this season. He backed up Jake Allen after losing Games 1 and 2 to the Canucks, then started Game 6 but was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots.
Binnington will enter the last season of a two-year, $8.8 million contract ($4.4 million AAV) he signed July 13, 2019, and could be in a similar situation to Pietrangelo when he can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
“Just take care of what you can control,” Binnington said. “That’s kind of my game and myself. The rest will take care of itself, let the money chase you.”
