It’s not your worst idea, but it’s not a good one either.
Pietrangelo is 6 years older than Nylander, and will want a fat paycheque after next year(especially with the point boost he’ll get playing with the Leafs). St.Louis probably doesn’t do this deal without more coming back.
Even if it’s 1-for-1 you’re trading an appreciating asset for a more expensive depreciating one... better to just wait until after the cap crunch season and try to sign him, if the d prospects in the system still need more seasoning.
- Feeling Glucky?
At 28/29, Pietrangelo has a lot of years left in his gas tank. High end defenders like that have played well into their 30s without issue. Chara, Niedermayer, Pronger; go down the list, the top end guys get a lot of mileage.
Ideally, yes, you want the 22 year old Pietrangelo but unless you roll the dice on a guy like Bouchard, you could get a bust. Pietrangelo is a known commodity and fits the bill perfectly. Even at 9 or 10 million a year, it's a fair deal and you get what you need out of him which is a #1 RHD two-way player who gives your team at least 6 years of high end defense, if not more.
Given that he has 1 year left on his deal at 6.5 million, it actually works out pretty nice for our cap situation because Marleau will for sure be retired and both Matthews and Marner will have their deals so they know exactly how much free space they have to give him. Plus, the cap will go up too, most likely.
And "waiting to sign him" is unlikely. He'll either stay exactly where he is and you won't get a chance to even negotiate with him or he'll get traded like Karlsson did and sign with that team. If anything, waiting for him to become a UFA almost guarantees you'll pay the highest AAV rather than acquiring him and getting him signed before he hits the market.
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