Rumours continue to abound linking defenseman Alex Pietrangelo with a move to the Toronto Maple Leafs when free agency opens next month.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in search of some real quality on the right side of their defense and current St. Louis Blues captain and last year’s Stanley Cup Champion Alex Pietrangelo is a name that is regularly linked with the team.
The 30-year-old King City, Ontario native is set to become an unrestricted free agent on October 9th and the Leafs, who have already begun shedding salary from their roster, could be a team that comes knocking.
If recent reports are also to be believed, the Leafs could be in a stronger financial position to negotiate with Pietrangelo than a number of teams around the league if they view him as a legitimate top target for the defense.
Pietrangelo To The Leafs?
While it initially looked as if the fourth overall selection in the 2008 Draft would be returning to the Gateway City, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported yesterday via social media that now may not be the case.
Contract talks between the two sides have reportedly stalled and both the player and the team have agreed that the best course of action for the veteran, allowing him to see what other teams are willing to offer him.
With the financial landscape of the NHL far less secure thanks to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, which has forced a flat cap on the league for the next two seasons at least, teams may not be willing to part with as much money as they might have before this was introduced.
According to Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic, this may also be the case with the St. Louis Blues as he reported yesterday that their current offer on the table for Pietrangelo sits at an AAV of $7.7 million.
While there hasn’t been any suggestion that this figure is particularly disappointing for him, the Blues are reportedly insistent on him accepting that annual average without the team disclosing the overall make-up of the deal – including signing bonuses and whether or not it would be front-loaded.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, this could present them with the perfect opportunity to offer Pietrangelo a deal due to their superior financial strength compared to many teams around the league.
The Leafs are currently the only Canadian team that has not forced employees to take pay cuts or deferrals due to the tight financial situation brought on by the pandemic, the delayed 19/20 playoffs and delayed start of the 20/21 season.
For MLSE, they can still use their financial might to offer contracts that are heavy on signing bonuses up front, something that top players like due to the security it gives them right out of the gate, making the prospect of joining the Leafs potentially more appealing for Pietrangelo.
Being able to offer him money up front, rather than spread evenly across years, could help tip the scales in favour of the Toronto Maple Leafs if they truly are looking into the possibility of adding the two-time All-Star.
There are still plenty of hurdles regarding the team’s cap situation, but the recent trade involving Kasperi Kapanen is likely just the first of a number of moves that general manager Kyle Dubas is considering and if the Leafs truly want Pietrangelo, then they should be able to get him.