Alex Pietrangelo Considers Return to Action with the Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has left open the possibility of returning to competition this season, as he continues his recovery process from a persistent hip injury. Pietrangelo, 35, and the Golden Knights announced in June that he would take a break from the “intense pace of hockey” to assess whether his injured hip could improve to the point of allowing him to have “a normal quality of life.” At that time, general manager Kelly McCrimmon indicated that the injury “would require a bilateral reconstruction of the femur, with no guarantee of success.” Various reports suggested that Pietrangelo, the team’s number one defenseman, would miss at least the entire 2025-26 season. The defenseman himself stated in June that “the probability is low that my body will recover to the level required to play.” However, Pietrangelo revealed on Monday that he has chosen not to undergo surgery and is following a rehabilitation program that has given him positive results. When asked if he was ruling out a return this season, Pietrangelo did not rule it out.Pietrangelo explained that the hip problem started years ago, but that last season “was when it really took its toll on me.” He played through it, even skipping the 4 Nations Face-Off to focus on the Stanley Cup playoffs. In total, he played 71 games and then another 10 in the postseason, averaging 23:03 minutes of ice time in the playoffs. With 17 years of experience in the NHL, Pietrangelo led the St. Louis Blues (2019) and the Golden Knights (2023) to Stanley Cup championships. In his career, he has accumulated 637 points in 1,087 games. Pietrangelo has two years left on his contract with the Golden Knights, a seven-year deal he signed as a free agent in 2020, with an $8.8 million cap hit. The Golden Knights have limited cap space after acquiring star winger Mitch Marner from Toronto with a new contract that has a $12 million cap hit. Vegas will begin the season with Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve. The NHL and NHLPA recently agreed to accelerate changes to the collective bargaining agreement that address players’ salary cap benefits on LTIR and establish a postseason salary cap.“Nothing is really definitive. I’m just going to keep going day by day and see how it all goes,” he stated at the Golden Knights’ training camp.
Alex Pietrangelo
