"I guess the best way to sum it up, we haven't really made much progress," Pietrangelo said in an exclusive interview. "We just think right now, with where things are at, that maybe it's best for both sides to see what's going on in free agency, what the team can explore, what I can explore, and if there are better fits for each side."
The defenseman has played his entire 12-season NHL career with the Blues. TSN reported Friday that contract talks had broken off, but Pietrangelo said he has not ruled out re-signing with St. Louis.
"No, I never will," he said. "I've never once said that I'm ruling the Blues out. I've never said that. ... I don't think you really move on until it's pen to paper and you're going somewhere else. I truly don't believe that, because it's not official until then."
The 30-year-old did acknowledge he might have to sign elsewhere.
"Yeah, it's disappointing," Pietrangelo said. "You spend your whole career somewhere, and to have a situation where you go through this, the reality kind of hits that there's a chance you're going to be wearing a different jersey one day. It's kind of a tough pill to swallow when you have your heart somewhere. But again, this isn't a blame game on either side. Both sides have their own opinions, and sometimes things just don't work out."
Pietrangelo played the final season of a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed Sept. 13, 2013. The NHL salary cap will remain at $81.5 million next season. Free agents can sign starting Oct. 9.
"It's been over a year that we've been trying to hammer out a deal, so I think both sides are kind of at the point where maybe there's a better way to go about this," Pietrangelo said. "The goal all along was to stay here. I think [the Blues'] goal all along was to get me signed. It's not like all of a sudden we're just like, 'You know what, this isn't going to work.'"
Pietrangelo refused to reveal what he was offered by the Blues.
"I think he wants to feel like he's respected," Blues forward David Perron said last month. "He wants to feel like he gets his share of things. I think he deserves it too."
St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champion, entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the West after the round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The Blues were eliminated in six games by the No. 5 seed Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference First Round.
Pietrangelo, the St. Louis captain since 2016, scored an NHL career-high 16 goals this season to tie 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, who was selected by the Blues with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, scored 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 26 playoff games last season to help them win the Stanley Cup for the first time.
"[Alex is] a pretty dynamic player at both ends of the ice," Blues goalie Jordan 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."
