Alex Pietrangelo signing a massive seven-year deal with Golden Knights

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 7: Alex Pietrangelo #27 of the St. Louis Blues waits for a faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blues defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

The Vegas Golden Knights landed the top free agent defenseman on the market in Alex Pietrangelo

The Vegas Golden Knights were expected to represent the Western Conference in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, but fell to the Dallas Stars in the Conference Final. Vegas has a roster that’s built to contend for the next couple of seasons, and the belief entering the offseason was that they’d make a big splash in NHL free agency. They did just that on Monday.

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the Golden Knights are signing former St. Louis Blues defenseman and captain Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year contract that will carries an average annual value of $8.8 million. Additionally, the 30-year-old’s deal includes a full no-movement clause, ensuring he’s there for the long haul.

I’m told it’s $8.8 M x seven years for Pietrangelo in Vegas https://t.co/hVyz9OAzzw
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 12, 2020

Full no move clause in the deal. https://t.co/H4wx25A8ps
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 12, 2020

Vegas courted Pietrangelo from the get go

Ever since the Stanley Cup Playoffs concluded, the Golden Knights set their focus on bringing in Pietrangelo. The defenseman flew to Vegas to take an in-person meeting with the team on Saturday, as well as view the area and practice facility, per LeBrun. Vegas was deemed the “clear frontrunners” from the start, and they got their guy.

A return to St. Louis appeared to be out of the cards for Pietrangelo, as the team quickly finalized a deal with former Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug that runs for seven-years, and totals $45.5 million. Even though Blues general manager Doug Armstrong didn’t rule out a potential deal with Pietrangelo, it was highly unlikely given the captain’s high-asking price.

Pietrangelo has been with the Blues organization for12 seasons, where he posted 109 goals, 341 assists and 1,375 blocked shots. Pietrangelo scored 16 goals and tallied 36 assists, while averaging an ice-time of 24:11 this season.

While the Golden Knights secured their big-name defenseman, they will need to free up some cap space via trade. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Nate Schmidt are the clear candidates to be moved at some point this offseason.

Next. What Taylor Hall signing with Sabres means for Jack Eichel. dark

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