The St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on a seven-year deal for 23-year-old defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, the club announced today.
“We’re excited to have Alex in the fold for the next seven years as he will continue be a key component of our franchise,” said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong in a release. “He is an elite defenseman in this league and will be for years to come.”
The deal is reportedly worth $45.5 million over the seven years, for a cap hit of $6.5 million.
From the release:
Since his first full season in 2010, Pietrangelo is tied for sixth among all defensemen in points (118), ranks 10th in goals (28), tied for ninth in assists (90) and slots 15th in plus/minus (+34) while he became the youngest defenseman in Blues history to record back-to-back 40-plus point seasons in 2010-11 (43) and 2011-12 (51).
Comparing to other defensemen his age...
Pietrangelo’s contract is identical in term and total money to the one Erik Karlsson, also 23, has in Ottawa. (Update: The salaries are apparently spread identically, too.)
Drew Doughty, also 23, is entering the third season of an eight-year, $56 million ($7 million cap hit) with the Los Angeles Kings.
Zach Bogosian -- yep, 23 -- recently signed a seven-year, $36 million deal ($5.14 million cap hit) with the Winnipeg Jets.
Armstrong just told us the no-trade clause for Petro's 7-year deal kicks in on his 27th birthday #stlblues
— Norm Sanders (@NormSanders) September 13, 2013