I don't think they should, the case is more like they must due to not having enough money.

They've very little room to maneuver with, cap wise.

I think they’re set up well enough to lose him and stay contenders. I think he ends up resigning to something like 8.5x8. The OP did it well moving Allen, Bozak, and Gunnarsson. I think we try to get Dunn on a year deal or something cheap and resign him to a longer term deal next summer when cap rises and Steen comes off the books.

Ottawa jumps on that offer. It's the perfect move for them.

They most likely don't want him to leave, but most likely will because of cap space issues. Unless they can do some adjustments and cap dumps, and if Pietrangelo decides to take a pay cut (very small chance of happening), I won't be surprised to see him in a new jersey next season.

I think expecting the CAP to rise next year is at best wishful thinking. At the rate they are going they might get the playoffs completed by mid to late August, maybe. Are they going to play a full season next year, beginning Jan 1? Are fans going to show up to games if allowed? Yeah I wouldn’t be counting on any cap raises, at least next year.

yes they can let him go as they are in a position now where they can move on. Signing an aging defenseman for 9 mill is not a good idea as if his play drops they are stuck with him. Let him walk and use the money to create a balanced roster for the future. Parayko can become their top RHD and with the money saved by not signing Pitrangelo they can not only afford to keep a good defensive core going but a forward core as well

Short answer: No. And your offers for Allen and Bozak will be bested quite easily.

But I love how suddenly being 30 makes him a fading radioactive heap of garbage. Petro is more likely the kind of guy who ages very gracefully, a la Lidstrom. And even if he falls off a cliff at 35, that's still five more seasons of Norris-level play.

I think STL signed Faulk with the understanding that if they can't get a good deal on Petro, they'll move on from him and quite frankly it's the smart thing to do. Parayko can handle minutes, Faulk is a great top 4 D. They could sign a 3rd pair D and have space to re-sign key players.

Bozak might be in his last year, I doubt if his M NTC includes a Ottawa as a destination.

I'm always intrigued by "Should the Blues let him walk". Pietrangelo is a UFA, it's his choice where he signs, not the Blues.

You're talking about this year's playoffs? No way it's over in 2 weeks... and they wouldn't be planning to start next season in Nov/Dec/Jan then.

I never said that just think with STL defensive depth wouldn't that cap be useful to re-up Parayko?

1- Didn't say you did. It was a response to other comments, both in this thread and in others.

2- All in good time. We don't need to worry about Colt for a while.

Yes, if he's looking to retire he might say no, but Bozak isn't dumb. If he wants to play additional years at the end of his contract all he has to do is look at what Ottawa did for Tyler Ennis, C Brown, Dzingel. Bozak knows he'd get opportunities in OTT that other teams wouldn't give him. With top 6 minutes and PP time, lining up with Tkachuk or maybe even Lafreniere or , he could get himself back into 25g and 50 pts range before becoming UFA. That would make teams far more comfortable offering more than 1 year.

I think we are misunderstanding each other. My point is with everything going on, games getting cancelled, non attendance playoffs, next seasons start being pushed back, it is wishful thinking to think there is going to be a cap raise.