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St. Louis making plans just in case Pietrangelo isn’t signed

Alex Pietrangelo

St. Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday, April 18, 2013, in St. Louis. The Blues won 2-1 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

AP

Blues GM Doug Armstrong is confident he’ll get restricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo signed, but he can’t head into training camp without a backup plan.

Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Dispatch reports the Blues are looking at veterans to bring into camp on a professional tryout agreement in case Pietrangelo isn’t signed soon. Armstrong says he’s just doing what’s best for the team.

“Our focus right now is on Alex, but there are players that do want to get into training camps,” Armstrong said. “We may have an opportunity to do that for someone if we so desire.”

One of those players could be Ryan Whitney, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers. TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com say the Blues are eyeballing the eight-year veteran for a PTO.

He’s a puck-moving defenseman with a stronger offensive game than defensive which makes him like a discount version of Pietrangelo. That makes him ideal for depth and as a “just in case” option.

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