The COVID-19 pandemic was a strange time to be alive. Everything stopped. Schools were now virtual, social events became less social, and uncertainty plagued the world. The NHL, much like many other professional sports, also halted play, leading to more questions than answers.
Alex Pietrangelo, who captained the St. Louis Blues to their first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history, also had lots of questions to be answered. The Blues, who drafted him fourth overall in 2008, wanted to bring the defenseman back, but would not grant him a full no-movement clause (NMC).
This was a key priority for Pietrangelo who just had his fourth child in Sept. 2020 with his wife, Jayne Pietrangelo. After long talks between both sides, the 30-year-old departed quietly to Las Vegas, where he’d sign a seven-year deal with a full NMC.
Related: Golden Knights Have Wanted Mitch Marner — Now They Finally Have Him
This was a pivotal moment in Pietrangelo’s career. With St. Louis in the rearview mirror, he and his family were wheels up for a brand-new opportunity across the country, and a new era began. This is one of many examples of Pietrangelo putting his family first and paints a picture of the man he was on and off the ice.
The news comes on the heels of recent reports that Pietrangelo’s stepping away from the game of hockey due to serious hip injuries, which was announced earlier this week. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement that Pietrangelo’s injury would require “bilateral femur reconstruction, with no guarantee of success.”
Pietrangelo says the “likelihood is low” that he returns to professional hockey again, but has not formally retired from the game. He will be placed on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and his $8.8 million cap hit will not impact the Vegas Golden Knights this offseason.
This was one of the many puzzle pieces that led Vegas to land Mitch Marner, but replacing a two-time Stanley Cup champion with over 1,000 games of experience? Not so simple.
A Storied NHL Career Likely Comes to an End
During McCrimmon’s press conference earlier this week, he touched on a multitude of points — from the Marner sign-and-trade to the Nicolas Hague trade — but the first thing he mentioned was Pietrangelo and what he meant to the team.
“I’ve never met a person like him,” McCrimmon said. “I never have. I truly haven’t, just the leadership and care compassion for teammates. An unbelievable NHL career that he’s had, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. We’re not a Stanley Cup champion without Petro (Pietrangelo) having been part of our organization.”
Beyond trophies and accolades, Pietrangelo is a player who commanded respect throughout the league. He captained his junior team during his final season with the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League. He helped lead the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and then did the same with the Golden Knights. He wasn’t a one-hit wonder, this is simply who Pietrangelo is.
“I just wanted to talk a little bit about his impact on the organization, the respect that he had from our players, but just around the league, he’s got a presence on the ice,” McCrimmon said. “He’s an alpha male all day long. He’s upbeat, he’s loud, the respect he shows our trainers, our medical staff, just all of the things that make a great professional player and a really good human being.”
Pietrangelo’s leadership wasn’t limited to the rink, he’s faced challenges off the ice that few players encounter, demonstrating the same resilience and dedication.
In Dec. 2022, his daughter, Evelyn, fell seriously ill. This led Pietrangelo to take a nine-game leave from the NHL to be with his family. She recovered soon after, but it was an experience that fans, media, and others don’t see on the ice.
“I think you guys have seen Alex through some of those situations that he and Janie (Alex Pietrangelo’s wife) dealt with,” McCrimmon said. “It’s just he’s touched a lot of people in the organization and those are things we hope that continue and carry on and get passed down.”
It’s the moments where we don’t know what to do that make us who we are, and Pietrangelo has done that everywhere he’s been. Whether winning two Stanley Cups for two different teams or representing his home country, Canada, where he took home gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Pietrangelo always rose to the occasion.
It’s easy to see why he’s such a likable player and, more importantly, a likable human.
What’s Next for the Golden Knights on Defense
Now let’s dive into some logistics. Without Pietrangelo on the backend, there are some serious concerns. He was the most relied-upon defenseman, handling more minutes than any player on the team over the last five years. He’s one of the main reasons the Golden Knights had such a strong blue line.
But now, in a world without Pietrangelo, what could some potential defense pairings look like for this season? Here’s a guess at it, subject to change, but with little cap space, a signing isn’t likely.
| Left defense | Right Defense |
| Brayden McNabb | Shea Theodore |
| Noah Hanifin | Zach Whitecloud |
| Jérémy Lauzon | Kaedan Korczack |
Shea Theodore is now the clear-cut No. 1 defenseman on the team. Pietrangelo held down that role for the previous five seasons, holding down the fort against the opposing teams’ best players.
It should be stated, though, that Theodore and McNabb have played alongside each other for a while, so the chemistry is already there. That should not diminish their role of playing on the first pairing, but could ease both players more into that role every night.
Whitecloud is an interesting one. He averaged 17:30 of ice time per game last season, but asking him alongside Hanifin to take another leap forward could be a challenge.
This is where things could get dicey. Lauzon, who was traded to Vegas as part of the Hague deal, is one of, if not the most, physical defenseman you’ll find. He’s not afraid to lay the body, regardless of where he is on the ice. That being said, he isn’t going to win hockey games for the Golden Knights. So his fit back into Bruce Cassidy’s system (the two played with each other in Boston) will be interesting to see.
Then there’s Korczack, who recently signed a four-year extension starting in 2026-27 worth $3.25 million. There is a lot of faith that the 24-year-old can take a leap in his development and possibly even become a top-four defenseman. He played 40 games with the Golden Knights last season, registering 10 points.
It’s possible that these could be the pairings deployed on opening night, but more moves could be on the horizon. Rasmus Andersson, who has been on the trade block, has Vegas atop his list of trade destinations, so he could be dealt soon. How likely? Who knows, but something to keep an eye on if Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy wants to make a deal before puck drop in October.
A Quiet Exit, a Lasting Legacy
Pietrangelo’s likely exit from the game is a major storyline — one that was somewhat overshadowed by the buzz of the Marner sign-and-trade. That’s not to say Pietrangelo shouldn’t get his flowers. He’s earned them. With a massive hole to fill on defense and a bigger void in the locker room, Vegas now enters the 2025-26 season without not just a superstar on the backend, but one of the most respected players in the league.
