Pietrangelo unsure of future with Blues heading into free agency

Alex Pietrangelo's desire to re-sign with the St. Louis Blues hasn't changed, but he admitted Tuesday he may have to play elsewhere next season.

"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."

The 30-year-old from Ontario played the final season of a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed Sept. 13, 2013.
General manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday he wants to keep Pietrangelo in St. Louis, but doing so would require other moves to fit his new contract under the NHL salary cap.
"I think the first phase is going to be to find out if we can find common ground with Alex, and if we do then go to work to move other pieces," Armstrong said. "It is really an either-or that if we can't find common ground with Alex, then there's really no need to do anything. And if we can find common ground with Alex, then there's a need to do a lot.
"I've said this really since July of '19, Alex is our captain. I've grown up with Alex in this organization and he's grown up with me in this organization. I'd like to see that continue for a number of years moving forward and that's my focus right now."
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 Stanley Cup 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."

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 postseason. 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."