Yes, he will be expensive. Yes, letting him walk will free up cap space. Yes, we have several young depth that will last years to come for much cheaper.
This Blues team is no longer rebuilding. They are built. Given the Cup last year, and a President's Trophy contender this year, it's only downhill from here.
The point of prospects and young talent is not just for the financial incentive, but to see how they work out. They're a gamble. When they do, pay day and contract. When they don't, or a better offer comes along, trade and let walk.
Peitroangelo already worked out. Letting him walk reinforces the idea that we have equal or better waiting, for a cheaper mark on the salary cap. Unlike Dunn, or a fresh prospect, Peitroangelo is no longer a gamble: we know we can expect a consistent 10+ goals a season, many assists, he has the big body and long reach, and is instrumental to the Blues Power Play and the point. He's the franchise player you look for when you rebuild.
Pietrangelo is an instrumental part of the current Blue's success. He could very well be the nucleus holding the team together, along with some others. Letting him walk could derail the chemistry of the entire team.
And Pietrangelo's most productive goal seasons have been his previous 4 while still racking up the assists. He's still hot in his prime. He's on pace to get the most goals in a season this year. If we can sign him for another 4-5 years, that'd be great. However I don't think he'd take a contract like that. That puts him just short of retirement age when the contract expires; so he'd probably prefer a longer term one say 8 years which I'd be okay with. But Ideally, 4-6 would be great, that locks him up in his prime.
Now for the fanboy reason: If Pietrangelo stays with us another 5 years, at least, he will beat all defenseman in every category: games played, goals, assists, TIM, a record that will never been broken by another Blues defenseman in our lifetime.
