The St. Louis Blues announced via their official Twitter handle that the team has come to terms on a seven-year $45.5 million deal with their top defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, and will avoid a lengthy hold out.
BREAKING NEWS: Alex Pietrangelo has agreed to a seven-year contract. https://t.co/04xOohBDqE #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vGSQypbjHZ
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 13, 2013
Yahoo Sports reports that Pietrangelo and the Blues were able to come to terms after lengthy negotiations and even a threat that the young defenseman was going to hold out until the Blues offered him a contract with a significant amount of years on it. Speculation rose that Pietrangelo was going to miss training camp and possibly the preseason and some of the regular season until a contract was reached, but all the worry subsided when the two sides struck the deal Friday.
According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pietrangelo will receive $5 million in the first year of the deal, $5.5 million in the second, $6.5 million in the third, $7 million in years four-through-six and then close out the deal with a $7.5 million salary in his final season of the deal.
Pietrangelo, who didn't want a two-year bridge contract which is normally given to players once their entry-level deal expires, was drafted by the Blues No. 4 overall in the 2008 draft. Pietrangelo has played in 224 career NHL games, posting 29 goals and 92 assists for a total of 121 points while logging an average ice time of 23:14.
Last year, in the 48-game lockout-shortened NHL season, Pietrangelo notched five goals and 19 assists for 24 points all while averaging 25:07 ice time, and had a goal and an assist in six playoff games.
Pietrangelo showed how dangerous he can be with his slap shot in last year's playoffs:
Pietrangelo will be the rock for the Blues defense going forward. The team is looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish to the Stanley Cup playoffs last year. The Blues went 29-17-2 last year and placed second in the Central Division while notching the No.4 seed in the playoffs. The team took a 2-0 best-of-seven series lead over the Los Angeles Kings before subsequently losing four games in a row and being eliminated in the first round.
The Blues will hope to avoid that this year, and by locking up Pietrangelo for the long-term, St. Louis looks to stay competitive for years to come..
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