St. Louis Blues: 5 Reasons Fans Oversimplify Alex Pietrangelo Situation
By Todd Panula
Blues don’t have “Pietrangelo money”
Another oversimplification that makes my head spin is the statement that the Blues can spend Pietrangelo’s money better elsewhere. You can argue if there are better ways to spend money, but the problem is they don’t have Pietrangelo money. If they did, he would already be signed.
As of October 1, the Blues have $5.15 million in cap space. That is the only money they have to spend on either Pietrangelo or anybody else.
There is this odd perception that if Pietrangelo leaves, the Blues will suddenly have an extra $6.5 million to spend. Until Pietrangelo re-signs, he should be considered a free agent at this moment, even though it’s not official until October 9.
That means, his money is already off the books as far as what the team has available.
On the same token, they don’t have Jay Bouwmeester money or Vince Dunn money. They have just over $5 million in cap space no matter how you slice it.
There is no more money coming off the books unless the Blues make another trade. To afford Pietrangelo or anyone else that costs more than $5 million per season, they have to make another trade.