Alex Pietrangelo and Taylor Hall taking their time
Anthony Scultore
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Free Agent Frenzy feels different this year. There is no doubt that the COVID impact to the NHL schedule and finances has a lot to do with it. Normally top end UFAs are showered with money and go within the first few hours, but two of the top three remain homeless.
Alex Pietrangelo heading to Vegas
Alex Pietrangelo is still in a bit of disbelief as the door to the Blues has closed. Late yesterday, St. Louis signed Torey Krug who was listed at #3 for top UFAs. That move basically sealed the deal and now Pietrangelo is looking for a new home.
The likely new destination for the 30 year-old rear guard will be Las Vegas. Alex is heading there today to discuss and then decide if the Knights are where he wants to be. My guess is that is where he ends up.
Drama in Boston and St. Louis
Pietrangelo was still reeling as the Blues were talking about the signing of Krug. Jim Rutherford of The Athletic wrote that during the Zoom he contacted Alex about the signing. “Nothing to say,” was his text reply. “It caught me off-guard.”
Meanwhile, Torey Krug had a lot to say about how things played out in Boston. Apparently, many believed the Bruins had made several offers all the way up until the day before Free Agency. Krug revealed he hadn’t received an offer in over a year.
Taylor Hall weighing his options
When it comes top free agent forwards, Taylor Hall is the undisputed number one guy out there. Elliotte Friedman reported up to 25 teams contacted him.
As of today, Hall is carefully weighing out all his options. It is very possible he will not decide until Sunday. What we do know is that Boston put out a short term offer and Montreal went big for him.
Other teams said to be in the mix is his hometown of Calgary. So where will Hall land? You can’t discount Nashville, but if he goes for the money and that includes big bonus structure, it will be the Canadiens.
Other Free Agent News
Darren Dreger is reporting Tyson Barrie has found a home in Edmonton. The deal makes sense, especially since the Oilers lost their PP QB Oscar Klefbom to long-term injury.
Another notable UFA is Mike Hoffman who has plenty of interest and is no rush to make a decision.