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LAS VEGAS — Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has not ruled out playing again for the Golden Knights — even this season — hoping to avoid surgery as he goes through rehabilitation on his injured hip.
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Vegas placed him on long-term injured reserve earlier this year, which gave the Golden Knights room under the salary cap to sign prized sign-and-trade acquisition Mitch Marner.
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At the time, it was announced that Pietrangelo would undergo surgery for bilateral femur reconstruction that most certainly would have ended any hopes of playing this season. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon even doubted Pietrangelo would play again.
But the 35-year-old Pietrangelo said in a news conference Monday he has responded well to rehab and was keeping an open mind about playing this season. He has two seasons remaining on a seven-year, $61.6 million contract.
“Nothing’s really concrete,” Pietrangelo said. “I’m going to take it day by day and go through my process and see where it goes.”
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He said his hip has been a long-term issue, but particularly flared up last season.
Pietrangelo had planned to play for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off at the NHL’s mid-season break, but withdrew from the tournament with the hopes of being healthy enough to contribute to a potential deep Golden Knights playoff run. It wasn’t an easy decision because Pietrangelo said he was disappointed that his wife and children didn’t get to see him play in that international event.
As for the Golden Knights, Vegas won the Pacific Division, but was eliminated in five games in the second round by eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton.
“Last year was when (the injury) really took a toll,” Pietrangelo said. “I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. By the time it really started to get to me last year, to try and address it with how good of a team we had, it would’ve cut the whole year off for me.
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“When you have a roster like we did and you have an opportunity you think to win, that’s a tough thing to give up. So that didn’t really cross my mind. I didn’t really know exactly what we were dealing with until the end of the season.”
He talked about the importance not only of keeping this chapter on his playing career open, but also of making sure he was healthy enough to do the things involved with being a good dad and husband.
Pietrangelo has remained in Las Vegas to be close to his teammates and maybe even help younger players either with the main club or the American Hockey League affiliate in nearby Henderson.
As a key member of two Stanley Cup championship teams — St. Louis in 2019 and Vegas in 2023 — Pietrangelo carries the gravitas of an accomplished veteran player. He also has 637 points in his 17-year career.
“I love being part of a locker room,” Pietrangelo said. “Anybody that’s played sports, especially at our age, to get together with the guys, it’s been really, really fun to come here and still see everybody and be part of the group.”
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