The Vegas Golden Knights appear to be zeroing in on Toronto Maple Leafs pending unrestricted free agent forward Mitch Marner, who could be moving on from the only NHL franchise he’s played for.
But ahead of the start of the NHL free agency period, Vegas has been dealt a devastating blow on the injury front that could affect how it allocates the salary cap space for its players.
Alex Pietrangelo Expected To Be Unavailable for Entire 2025-26 NHL Season
The Golden Knights are expected to be without defenseman and alternate team captain Alex Pietrangelo for the entire 2025-26 NHL season. The news was first reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
“I’m hearing Vegas defenceman Alex Pietrangelo is dealing with serious injuries and is going to require multiple major surgeries this summer, which will result in [him] missing the entire 2025-26 season, at least,” Pagnotta said on X on Saturday.
I’m hearing Vegas defenceman Alex Pietrangelo is dealing with serious injuries and is going to require multiple major surgeries this summer, which will result in missing the entire 2025-26 season, at least.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 29, 2025
The specific details of Pietrangelo’s physical ailments remain unclear, and there is no specific timeline for when the Golden Knights could expect him back in the lineup.
This would allow the defenseman to be placed on Long Term Injured Reserve, potentially allowing the Golden Knights to present an even larger contract offer to Marner. If placed on LTIR, Vegas could exceed the salary cap, which presents them with an opportunity in their Mitch Marner negotiations.
However, there are also massive downsides to Pietrangelo being sidelined for the year. The team will be dealing with not only the loss of his veteran leadership but also a massive gap in their top-four defensive pairings. To help offset the loss of Pietrangelo, they’ll need to acquire a new defenseman to take his place, either through free agency or a trade.
Pietrangelo, who previously captained the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019, recently completed his fifth season with the Golden Knights. He still has two seasons remaining on his current contract, which carries an $8.8 million cap hit. This most recent season, he scored four goals with 29 assists in 71 games and had a +11 rating. He also added two more goals and four assists in 10 playoff games.
So far in his career, the veteran defenseman has skated in 1,087 NHL regular-season games with the Blues and Golden Knights, scoring 148 goals and 489 assists while amassing a +123 total rating. He’s also added 15 goals and 65 assists in 149 career postseason games and has won the Stanley Cup once with each of the teams that he has played for.
