[News] Alex Pietrangelo announces it is unlikely he will play again

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

The phrase "bilateral femur reconstruction" is a pretty terrifying one for an athlete. I don't blame him at all if he walks away.

Sometimes you get mad at teams for LTIRing guys to get some cap relief. I 100% do not believe that's what happened here. If he could play, he would, and the team would be happy to have him.

Pretty sad way to end a career, but father time comes for us all.

It was cute seeing Oiler fans and media complain about Chucky on LTIR when the Oioers did the same with Kane for a similar injury and fake knee surgery.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

It was cute seeing Oiler fans and media complain about Chucky on LTIR when the Oioers did the same with Kane for a similar injury and fake knee surgery.

Chucky was literally playing on a torn muscle the entire playoffs, an important one too as the adductor is key to maintaining stability, edges, and is an antagonist in the skating motion...so it probably hurt every single stride he was on the ice.

He probably should have been LTIR'd through the playoffs too, but he wants to win so badly that he puts his personal health at risk.

Don't forget that he had a broken sternum and still finished that series against Vegas.

Kane was 100% by March. #### that guy and that team.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by 3thirty

For the poster's suggesting we take his contract how does that help Vegas. They just LTIR him and insurance is paying it so why would they pay to dump it?

The one thing it could do is allow them to accrue cap space through the year, which you don't if you're using LTIR. But they are so close to the line, even without Pietrangelo, that it wouldn't help them much this year.

[dissentowner]

He has had a hell of a career, a pair of SC's, Olympic Gold, he had nothing left to prove. I hope he can enjoy a normal life going forward.

[sureLoss]

So apparently he didn't get the surgery and tried a different rehab program. Now he might come back:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...-return-season

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will not rule out a return to play this season as he continues to rehab a prolonged hip injury.

Pietrangelo, 35, and the Golden Knights announced in June that he was stepping away from "the intensity of hockey" to see if his injured hip could improve to the point where he could have "a normal quality of life." GM Kelly McCrimmon said at the time that the injury "would require bilateral femur reconstruction, with no guarantee of success."

Multiple reports indicated that Pietrangelo, the team's No. 1 defenseman, would miss the entire 2025-26 season at a minimum. The defenseman himself said in June that "the likelihood is low that my body will recover to the standard required to play."

But Pietrangelo said Monday that he has opted not to have surgery while continuing a rehab program that has given him positive results. When asked if a return this season was off the table, Pietrangelo wouldn't rule it out.

"Nothing is really concrete. I'm just going to continue to take it day-by-day and see where it goes," he said at the Golden Knights' training camp.

Pietrangelo said that the hip issue started years ago but that last season "was when it really took a toll on me." He played through it, skipping the 4 Nations Face-Off to focus on the Stanley Cup playoffs. He played 71 games overall and then another 10 in the postseason, averaging 23:03 in ice time in the playoffs.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

So apparently he didn't get the surgery and tried a different rehab program. Now he might come back:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...-return-season

I look forward to his mid-April return!

[Blaster86]

shocked Pikachu face goes here.

[FanSince'01]

Good news (for anyone other than Vegas and their fans) is they will have to find the cap room for him if he does come back this year. Or trade him.

[Major Major]

Ya, doesn't this actually totally screw them this year? Hope so. Would be funny

[CalgaryFan1988]

Nevermind, just realized I was responding to an old post.

[Vinny01]

How do the new CBA rules prevent Vegas from inserting Pietrangelo into game one of round one? Teams have to be capable of compliant in the playoffs now correct?

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

How do the new CBA rules prevent Vegas from inserting Pietrangelo into game one of round one? Teams have to be capable of compliant in the playoffs now correct?

They can only dress a cap compliant roster. So if his $8.8m salary draws into the lineup, they'll need to scratch $8.8m worth of players.

This also could screw them for next year, as Marner's signing was done because they had Pietrangelo's cap off the books going forward. If he's healthy, they'll have a tough time fitting in a resigned Eichel, as well as Pietrangelo's number.

[Major Major]

Scratching 8 million for the playoffs is not a plan obviously. Vegas is the kind of team to lead him along just to not play him just to cultivate a backup plan though. AP would be pretty sour to work his way back to not get played. Weird situation.

[getbak]

The new rules also hurts them in the regular season.

If they want to keep him eligible for the playoffs, they can only use $3.8 million of LTIR space to replace him. If he's ineligible to play at all this season, they'd be able to replace his full $8.8 million.

[Icon]

I would guess if he's looking like he could return, and they're in a playoff spot, they either:
- have the usual bandaids Stone and/or Theodore injured again so it's non-issue
- just don't dress Pietrangelo since they got there without him anyway

But my guess is he comes back earlier than planned and either they make a trade to fit him in mid-season, or Stone or Theodore are already out for the rest of the year at that point.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

So apparently he didn't get the surgery and tried a different rehab program. Now he might come back:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...-return-season

Sure sounds like the newly implemented rules screwed their plans. Good.

[dino7c]

Pietrangelo was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was then transferred to a better hospital where doctors upgraded his condition to "Alive."

[Calgary4LIfe]

Playoffs? We are talking about Vegas in the playoffs? Everyone knows that they are going to finish dead last and handing over the #1 pick to Calgary this year!

[Major Major]

Honestly, their D corps is bottom tier and their goaltending is meh. I could see them being bad.

[Icon]

Originally Posted by Major Major

Honestly, their D corps is bottom tier and their goaltending is meh. I could see them being bad.

Dorofeyev/Barbashev - Eichel - Marner will score a lot of goals.

But I agree I think they're going to have to win some high scoring games to find success this year. Hill's a bit of a question mark to me, and their D's thin after Theodore (who's hurt half the time) and I guess Hanifin.