Alex Pietrangelo 'caught off guard' by Torey Krug signing

Alex Pietrangelo probably won't be back with the Blues. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Pietrangelo 'caught off guard' by Blues' signing of Torey Krug

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 10/10/20

Alex Pietrangelo hasn't made a decision regarding where he'll play next season, but it almost certainly won't be with the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues signed Torey Krug to a seven-year, $45.5 million deal on Friday, essentially eliminating a return for Pietrangelo. According to The Athletic's Jim Rutherford, Pietrangelo was "caught off guard" by the Blues' signing of Krug.

I traded texts with Pietrangelo last night and today.

It's fair to say there's two sides: he declined the Blues' latest offer and decided to go the market. But it's also worth pointing out that he never officially counted them out and was indeed "caught off guard." #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 10, 2020

The Blues probably felt that they needed to snag Krug while they could given the uncertainty surrounding Pietrangelo's decision. The 30-year-old opted to test free agency after rejecting the Blues' latest offer. But he never ruled out a return to St. Louis, where he's been the team's captain for the past four seasons.

While Pietrangelo hasn't given any indication where he'll sign this offseason, it appears the Vegas Golden Knights are pulling out all the stops to acquire the All-Star defenseman.

With the signing of Krug, the Blues are now above the $81.5 million salary-cap threshold. They still need to sign restricted free-agent defenseman Vince Dunn to a new deal, too.

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