The St. Louis Blues aren’t shopping Alex Pietrangelo, but it doesn’t sound as if the star defenceman is completely untouchable either.
Pietrangelo has this year and next on a contract that carries a $6.5-million cap hit, and hasn’t had the strongest season so far.
The 28-year-old had four goals and 11 points in 24 games before being put on injured reserve with a hand injury on Dec. 3.
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The Blues entered play on Saturday in second-last place in the Central Division, and fired their coach in November.
“St. Louis is in a position where they’re going to have to make some tough decisions, and what’s happening now is the separation between playoff teams and non-playoff teams, which means the vultures are out right now,” said Nick Kypreos on Saturday’s Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada. “And Pietrangelo, despite a poor start to the season and a hand injury, one general manager told me he still may be the best all-around defenceman available by the trade deadline.”
One team that could be a trade partner for Blues general manager Doug Armstrong? The Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I don’t think that Armstrong is shopping Pietrangelo, but that doesn’t keep teams from calling … and asking about him,” said Kypreos. “I believe one of those teams is the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think where that would have to start is if Toronto and (GM) Kyle Dubas get St. Louis to possibly bite on (Nikita) Zaitsev’s contract – which is owed another five years at $4.5 million.
“If they can exchange right-handed defencemen, then there’s a chance you could put a package together maybe with a draft pick, a prospect, and then the likes of a young, fast player for St. Louis in the likes of (Kasperi) Kapanen or (Andreas) Johnsson.”
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