Pietrangelo Injury Concerns: The Cold Reality Beyond Marner Implications

The Golden Knights want to be playing for the Stanley Cup in June, not sitting idly by. They’ll do what it takes to win; after a second-round exit last month, analysts expected a busy offseason. 

And that was before Elliotte Friedman implied that veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo might not be healthy for the start of next season.

If true, this changes everything. Suddenly, placing Pietrangelo on LTIR and signing a superstar with the salary cap relief is a possibility. Is that Mitch Marner’s music? 

This would only add fuel to the fire, but who cares? Certainly not the Golden Knights– what matters is winning the Stanley Cup, and they’ve demonstrated this time and time again.

Well, hold on, now. Pump the brakes. Nothing is ever that simple.

The reality of the situation is that Friedman’s report spells trouble for all involved. 

The Golden Knights’ blue line is already stretched thin as they’re shopping Nic Hague’s RFA rights. And besides, even if Hague were under contract, he’s a leftie. Right-shot defensemen don’t grow on trees, and ones of Pietrangelo’s caliber are particularly hard to come by.

The Golden Knights signing Mitch Marner seems more likely today than it did last week. However, a dark cloud of uncertainty now hangs above the 2025-26 season. 

Can the Golden Knights Stash Pietrangelo on LTIR to Sign Marner?

Let’s get ahead of the possibility and tackle this now, shall we?

On last Friday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that Alex Pietrangelo’s health could be in question. The veteran defenseman played through injury last season, and that could return to haunt him.

Friedman’s report came just weeks after the story about Mitch Marner’s interest in the Golden Knights broke. Since then, we’ve come to learn that the interest is mutual– the Golden Knights tried to trade for Marner on more than one occasion.

With the amount of smoke around the situation, it’s only natural if this is where your mind went. 

Let’s discuss. Here’s a very quick, very barebones crash course in LTIR:

The CBA states that a player may be placed on LTIR– actually, the league calls it the “Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception– if they are “unfit to play” for ten games or 24 calendar days. While the player is injured, their salary doesn’t count against the cap.

It’s a little more complicated than that– technically, the player’s salary still counts against the cap; the team is simply allowed to exceed the cap– but that’s the basic idea.

So, yes. The Golden Knights could, theoretically, place Pietrangelo on LTIR and sign Mitch Marner. 

However, the problem there is that the second Pietrangelo gets healthy, the Golden Knights would be $8.8 million or so over the cap. So, if they sign Marner by placing Pietrangelo on LTIR, that’s a very short-term way to fit him under the cap.

So, if the rumors regarding Pietrangelo’s health are true and the Golden Knights place him on LTIR, that essentially starts an unofficial countdown. Because, at some point, they would have to move out a significant amount of salary to make up for having Pietrangelo back.

And then, there’s the obvious downside.

Pietrangelo Still Crucial to Golden Knights’ Success

On the surface, it’s easy to say that this situation benefits the Golden Knights. Pietrangelo looks human these days, and a superstar like Marner is a game-changer.

But let’s be realistic here.

Pietrangelo might not be the player he once was, and he might not be an $8.8 million player anymore. He’s not the speedster that he was with the St. Louis Blues; he’s not the nearly 25 minutes-a-night player he was when he joined the Golden Knights.

But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t an effective player.

Pietrangelo, like all the aging greats, was forced to adapt and evolve his game over the years. When his foot speed started to slip, his strength increased. His skating isn’t as smooth as it once was, but he can see plays before they develop and get into position defensively. 

Offensively, he’s not a 54-point player anymore, but his elite vision hasn’t waned. He’s still more than capable of moving the puck, and the thought of blocking his slapshot still strikes fear into the hearts of opponents.

And then there’s the matter of replacing him. 

Injured or not, at this point in Pietrangelo’s career, Shea Theodore should take over as RD1 on the depth chart. But, when healthy, Pietrangelo is still a minute muncher. If he’s injured, who do the Golden Knights have that can log 21+ minutes a night?

Zach Whitecloud performed admirably when Theodore’s injury elevated him to RD2, but I’m not sure he’s the long-term solution. Even with Pietrangelo’s salary relief, the Golden Knights are up against the cap. And beyond Aaron Ekblad, this year’s crop of Free Agent defensemen isn’t anything to write home about.

It would be better for all involved if Friedman’s report proved false. Because the fact of the matter is, the Golden Knights need Pietrangelo.