St. Louis signs Torey Krug, meaning Pietrangelo will have a new home next season

Multiple sources are reporting that the St. Louis Blues have signed former Boston Bruins defenseman and power play specialist Torey Krug, effectively cutting off negotiations with now former captain Alex Pietrangelo.

The deal has been confirmed by TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who has reported that the Krug camp has accepted a 7-year deal worth $45.5M, a $6.5M AAV.

This is an absolute pipe bomb from Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who has made a statement with the Krug deal that he will not be strong-armed in negotiations. If the rumours were true, Armstrong had tabled an offer to the Pietrangelo camp that would have seen the Toronto native earning in excess of $8M per season.

What this means for Krug and the St. Louis Blues is a fresh start and a new chapter for both sides, and it's not a bad way to begin the post-Pietrangelo era in St. Louis, locking up the feisty, yet skilled diminutive blueliner through 2026-27 at a reasonable cap hit.

As reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins' original offer of 6 years at $6.6M had been pulled from the table, as was confirmed by GM Don Sweeney, which necessitated a change in direction for the Krug camp, ultimately resulting in the deal with the Blues.

Krug has shown a lot of promise since exploding onto the scene in his Rookie year, recording 40 points through 79 games for the Bruins in 2013-14. His torrid pace continued through the six seasons that followed, with Krug amassing a staggering 337 points through 523 career NHL games.

As solid as his production in the regular season has been, it's his 52 points in 75 career NHL playoff games that really jump off the page. St. Louis is going to love the heart and tenacity (and obviously the production) that the 29-year-old brings to the table.

It does, however, come at the price of losing their captain and homegrown franchise defenseman, with whom the Blues had recently achieved glory, hoisting the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2018-19.

Now we look ahead to day two of free agency on Saturday, and I'm sure everyone will be waiting with baited breath to see where Pietrangelo lands. With the Leafs turning to TJ Brodie, the Golden Knights, Avs and Bruins are all believed to have been in communication with the Pietrangelo camp. A decision is not necessarily imminent for Pietro and it is believed that he will take some time to weigh his options before making the best decision for him and his family.

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