NHL News: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues Agree On Seven-Year Extension, Avoid Hold Out [VIDEO]

The St. Louis Blues announced via their official Twitter handle that the team has come to terms on a seven-year $45.5 million deal with their top defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, and will avoid a lengthy hold out.

Yahoo Sports reports that Pietrangelo and the Blues were able to come to terms after lengthy negotiations and even a threat that the young defenseman was going to hold out until the Blues offered him a contract with a significant amount of years on it. Speculation rose that Pietrangelo was going to miss training camp and possibly the preseason and some of the regular season until a contract was reached, but all the worry subsided when the two sides struck the deal Friday.

According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pietrangelo will receive $5 million in the first year of the deal, $5.5 million in the second, $6.5 million in the third, $7 million in years four-through-six and then close out the deal with a $7.5 million salary in his final season of the deal.

Pietrangelo, who didn't want a two-year bridge contract which is normally given to players once their entry-level deal expires, was drafted by the Blues No. 4 overall in the 2008 draft. Pietrangelo has played in 224 career NHL games, posting 29 goals and 92 assists for a total of 121 points while logging an average ice time of 23:14.

Last year, in the 48-game lockout-shortened NHL season, Pietrangelo notched five goals and 19 assists for 24 points all while averaging 25:07 ice time, and had a goal and an assist in six playoff games.

Pietrangelo showed how dangerous he can be with his slap shot in last year's playoffs:

Pietrangelo will be the rock for the Blues defense going forward. The team is looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish to the Stanley Cup playoffs last year. The Blues went 29-17-2 last year and placed second in the Central Division while notching the No.4 seed in the playoffs. The team took a 2-0 best-of-seven series lead over the Los Angeles Kings before subsequently losing four games in a row and being eliminated in the first round.

The Blues will hope to avoid that this year, and by locking up Pietrangelo for the long-term, St. Louis looks to stay competitive for years to come..

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