Should Canucks pursue Alex Pietrangelo in free agency?

The Vancouver Canucks already have a future superstar in Quinn Hughes on the blue line. Should they look to add Alex Pietrangelo?

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning has several key free agents to try and re-sign in the offseason — including starting goalie Jacob Markstrom and defencemen Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher.

Markstrom is the main priority here, and he has expressed his desire to stay in Vancouver. But if Benning were to lose Tanev (a pending UFA) and/or Stecher (a pending RFA), he’ll have to find a quality top-four blueliner in free agency.

St. Louis Blues captain and superstar defenceman Alex Pietrangelo headlines the list of possible free agents in 2020. Now, there’s good reason to believe that Pietrangelo will end up signing an extension with the only NHL team he’s ever known.

But what if Pietrangelo decides to test the free agent waters? If that’s the case, should Benning try and land the 30-year-old?

For starters, Benning would likely have to let both Tanev and Stecher walk in free agency to afford Pietrangelo. If Markstrom also leaves (hopefully not, but you never know), Benning will have plenty of cap space to pursue No. 27.

Oscar Fantenberg is also a pending free agent, and the contracts of Alexander Edler and Jordie Benn run up next year. Quinn Hughes will need a new deal next summer, too. Right now, Tyler Myers is the only Vancouver blueliner signed for 2021-22.

So there would certainly be lots of room to bring in Pietrangelo, a two-time All-Star, if Benning were keen on entering the sweepstakes.

Pietrangelo embodies all the qualities of a top-tier blueliner. He’s a world-class leader who led St. Louis to their first ever Stanley Cup championship last season — even though they sat at the bottom of the league standings five months earlier.

He’s recorded 50-plus points four times and 40-plus points eight times. Imagine pairing Pietrangelo alongside Hughes, who figures to be a perennial 50-plus point blueliner? What if head coach Travis Green had Hughes and Pietrangelo as his two power play quarterbacks?

Pietrangelo could very well cost around $9 million annually, but he would be worth it. He’s a bonafide top-pairing defenceman, and his impact on the Blues cannot be stressed enough. This is a player who can be that final piece in any team’s Stanley Cup championship quest.

If I were Benning, my main priorities would be to work on new deals for Markstrom, Tanev and Stecher. But if he loses at least two of those players, Benning will have some cap room and plenty of reasons to target Pietrangelo.

Pietrangelo might not be at the top of the Canucks’ offseason wish list, but they should at least explore him if he hits the open market.