Keeping Pietrangelo

Team: 2020-21 St. Louis Blues

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 2, 2020

Published: Jul. 2, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Let me put this bluntly. This will be tough and it makes me upset. That Faulk contract is a difficult hurdle and it's likely that the Seattle expansion team will not kindly take Faulk or Bozak or Steen (also that losing both Bozak and Steen would be too big of a blow so one will stay) More likely it will be Sundqvist or Blais or Bortuzzo going. I think the Blues protect Sundqvist so I'll use Blais. For this I will use a trade to WPG for a 7th as a sub for the expansion pick

Pietrangelo, even with a recessed market, likely won't settle for 9.5 or he would have already done it so he probably takes 10 and plays 2 years hoping to cash in on a new CBA. Dunn is still looking at 3 I bet, I'm not sure RFA guys will see much value sapped so much as the UFAs and big names

I think Vancouver is a good landing spot for Allen, they have a lot of cap space even after resigning Toffoli and the RFAs but they don't have sign Pietro or Barrie money and they likely don't get Holtby who seems to be likely to go back to the Caps. So it's Lehner or a trade for them. They also could probably use the RD not getting Barrie or Pietrangelo so Bortuzzo makes sense

Husso and Mikkola are ready for promotion though keeping Mikkola as a 7th D is probably a LOT more palatable for the Blues but to keep Dunn and Pietro if any other D are lost he will have to make the jump

The Devils also have cap space but only really need LD. They have 3 firsts this year or next and loads of young talent after drafting 1st overall 2/3 years (Taylor Hall is actual draft magic my friends!) so they can spare a 2nd. They probably splash and get like Krug and Dillen but that's about it still leaving a lot of cap. I think they would be happy to have Steen as a leadership, surprisingly good 4th liner, defensively skilled forward for a year

With Steen and likely a forward like Blais leaving I doubt the Blues will trust two of Walker, Kostin and Foley to make the jump so I bet they sign a roster filler min forward

Man this will be painful. At least Parayko-Scandella will be around a while

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