The list of players that the St. Louis Blues trust in any situation on the ice more than Alex Pietrangelo is a short one. Hence, the high priority placed on inking the franchise’s cornerstone defenseman to a long term contract this offseason.
It also explains why rumors and speculation swirl from the Midwest through the east coast regarding where the 2012 Norris Trophy finalist will play next season and beyond.
Pardon the hyperbole, but Pietrangelo possesses that rare blend of skill, will, patience, and urgency in all aspects of the game. Fancy stats fanatics will tell you that his numbers lead directly to the long awaited success the Blues’ have experienced since 2011.
In short, Pietrangelo is THE blueliner every team is looking for that doesn't have one already. The list of teams who do is another brief one.
So when General Manager Doug Armstrong has yet to reach an agreement with his marquee player and his agent, Don Meehan, the expectation should be that the “have nots” will come calling. Not sit back and twiddle their thumbs.
While GMs are paid to talk to each other and make things happen their union in discussion is rarely frictionless. Friction produces heat which produces smoke. Smoke is picked up by those paid to look for it then report what they see and their interpretation of its meaning. Bear in mind that tracking smoke back to its source doesn't always lead to a fire.
Where am I going with this?
Let’s reverse the scenario and put the Blues in the opposite role.
Assume for a moment that the Blues never drafted Erik Johnson or Pietrangelo. Instead they took Jonathan Toews and Nikita Filatov. Imagine how drastically different their group of blueliners would look like.
Bouwmeester – Polak
Leopold – Jackman
Nikitin/Russell – Cole
No Pietrangelo or Kevin Shattenkirk.
Removing those two exposes such a large gap in the transition and possession games that a move is virtually required to address.
Further in to this alternate history scenario let’s say the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Pietrangelo, found comparable success, and is seeking a max contract. One that may not fit within their cap and budgetary constraints.
With Columbus no longer a division rival shouldn’t Armstrong be expected to call up Jarmo and JD to explore options? After all the Blues would have even greater forward depth to trade from. Surely the logic in shifting strength in our hypothetical is obvious.
Now extract yourself from the counter-factual and look at recent news from a whole new point of view.
Regardless of how prudent subjective analysis views methods used by teams like the Philadelphia Flyers or Detroit Red Wings to build their rosters they have glaring holes to fill on the back end. Shouldn't their GMs explore all the possible options?
Hint: The correct answer is “yes”.
This is where recent trade innuendo stems from… due diligence and the ever present need for all NHL teams to improve by addressing deficiencies.
From a trust perspective fans should trust the front office in this case as much as the front office trusts Pietrangelo. A deal will be made. Either a higher AAV for a short term or a lower AAV for the 8 year max contract allowed per the current CBA. Keep in mind that Armstrong’s history in handling RFAs, look at the Halak, Berglund, Perron, Oshie, and Johnson contract as examples, is not one of overpayment or excessive duration. Rather, it’s one where the end result matches market values with in an acceptable range of deviation.
Considering today’s date is July 8th there is plenty of time for the two sides to find common ground and work out a deal that keeps No. 27 in the bluenote till well in to his UFA years (which is likely a sticking point in negotiations). There is also an abundance of time to work to shed salary to fix under the 2013-14 salary cap of $63.4 million. Remember that teams are allowed to exceed the upper limit by up to 10% ($6.4 million) until training camp begins.
All of that said, Armstrong has become known as one of the most patient, creative, and off the radar, GMs during his time in St. Louis. Should the situation sour between the Blues and Pietrangelo’s camp there will definitely be several suitors for his services that will be ready to pony up the steep price at auction.
Delving in to Armstrong’s history again shows he’s not one to deplete areas of strength without back filling. The cost would very likely be a long term option in the middle that could be ready to take on a NHL role following Derek Roy’s contract and a defenseman to replace Pietrangelo in the top four for now.
The volume, frequency, and medium of information to sift through these days makes a daunting task of trying to make sense of smoke signals infinitely more difficult. Hopefully my attempt helps you, the reader, on your journey to retain their sanity during the summer silly season.
For Blues fans, it’s understandable to be impatient and doubt, but take the time to look deeper and you’ll drop below the max line again.
For teams on that long list of teams without a defenseman like Pietrangelo who would love to have him, your time may come in the near future, but for now your leadership is only laying the ground work.
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Time for your take… What type of contract should Pietrangelo get from the Blues? IF they can’t sign him, what must the return be?
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Thanks for reading! As always feel free to follow me on Twitter to talk hockey:
@jtquirin 
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
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