David Backes' departure from St. Louis is somewhat bittersweet for Alex Pietrangelo.
The Blues' top defenseman says Backes' decision to sign with the Boston Bruins was hard to hear - even admitting to succumbing to tears - but adds he would welcome the opportunity to don the captain's 'C' now that the forward has moved on.
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Pietrangelo says Backes may have been low-key preparing him for the role all along.
"I think being so close with Dave over the five years he was captain, I’ve learned a lot from him just kind of sitting back and seeing how he operates on a daily basis," he told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Not only on the ice but off the ice, which is a big part of it trying to keep the locker room together and doing the off-ice stuff.
"He was always trying to help me through that. I think he knew this opportunity might come some day for me. He was always willing to answer my questions, and I was always eager to ask him. So if there is a guy that I was lucky to learn from, it was him. Being such good friends of his made it that much easier."
General manager Doug Armstrong affirmed Piertangelo's exceptional leadership qualities, and it appears he is indeed the frontrunner to be named captain at some point prior to the start of the regular season.
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