Pietrangelo will take over the role that David Backes had served since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. After spending the first 10 seasons of his career with St. Louis, Backes hit free agency this past July, promptly signing a five-year, $30-million contract with the Boston Bruins.
As for Pietrangelo, he's set to enter his seventh season with the Blues after being selected fourth overall at the 2008 draft. At just 26 years of age, Pietrangelo already ranks fifth all-time in franchise scoring by defensemen.
The 28-year-old joined TSN 1040 on Wednesday, claiming that when it came down to it, almost 10 teams were bidding for his services.
"There were close to 10 teams that reached out and were really serious about me joining their team," said Lucic. "It was humbling that that many teams reached out and wanted me on their team. I’m not going to lie ... it was a pretty cool feeling to have that many teams wanting you on their team.
"But also, it made things a lot (more) difficult. Especially talking to a lot of GMs and seeing what they had to offer and what they were proposing."
Ultimately, Lucic decided to sign a seven-year, $42-million deal with the Oilers, citing the opportunity to play with Connor McDavid, the chance to win, and his loyalty to Peter Chiarelli - who was acting general manager of the Boston Bruins when Lucic was a member of the team.
"I just kind of went with my heart and what was right for me and my career to be the best that I could be moving forward, and give myself an opportunity to win," said Lucic. "That’s why I went with my heart and my loyalty to Peter and chose the Edmonton Oilers."
While much of the attention in Nashville has focused on recent acquisition P.K. Subban, fellow blue-liner Mattias Ekholm has also emerged as a defensive force.
Ekholm, 26, broke out last season, reaching career highs in goals (eight), assists (27), and points (35). His plus-14 rating also paced all Nashville blue-liners.
The Swede rounds out an an impressive Nashville defensive core, which also features Subban, Roman Josi, and Ryan Ellis.
"I think he is developing really well. He (almost) doubled his offensive output from last year," Predators assistant coach Phil Housley told NashvillePredators.com. "Each year, he makes strides in his game in being one of those top four guys.
"I think (Ekholm's) skating is second to none. He’s got quickness, he’s got speed, he can close as well and he has a great stick."
If anyone knows defense, Housley is a safe bet. The former NHLer scored 1,232 points from the blue line during a playing career that spanned nearly 1,500 games.
Moving forward, Ekholm's future with the team is secure, having agreed to a six-year extension with the Predators last October.
"He’s got to continue to be consistent. Sometimes he had some ups and downs this year, but I think that with experience and age that’s going to get better," Housley added. "I think the future looks great for him as well."
The Vancouver Canucks, in partnership with Sportsnet and Rogers, announced their 2016.17 regular season broadcast schedule today with the complete 82-game schedule set to air on Sportsnet. Coverage kicks off with a national broadcast of the season...
The NHL is a copycat league. The success of one champion is often the model for the next.
This summer, the popular trend was to build with speed, a style of play which crowned the Pittsburgh Penguins as last season's Stanley Cup winner.
Yet, Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi sees it differently. He's interested in winning his own way, and continuing to build on the Kings' black-and-blue reputation.
"I'm not into flavor of the month," Lombardi told Curtis Zupke of NHL.com. "We're going to get there a different way, but I don't see us changing our values and our identity."
It's hard to argue with a blueprint that led Los Angeles to two Stanley Cup wins in three years, capturing victory in 2012 and 2014.
The present challenge is getting back to the team's winning ways.
Los Angeles saw early elimination from last year's postseason, winning just one game before being brushed aside by in-state rival San Jose.
"We really got exposed in the playoffs," Lombardi said. "I also think we had some mental issues in terms of having dealt with success, and a good punch in the nose like we got in the playoffs hopefully woke us all up."
Part of that wake-up call will come with new captain Anze Kopitar, who takes on the captaincy from Dustin Brown.
Going forward, the Kings will look to their core players and youth to rediscover their winning ways.
Los Angeles is counting on some of its young talent, namely Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, both 24 years old, to play a big role in the team's next wave of success.
"I think that one of the problems that we've had with our success is that thing I said four years ago," Lombardi said. "Whenever you've won, it's not recapturing the feeling, it's re-inventing the feeling.
"And that requires these guys now to establish their own identity, their own basis to lead and their own basis to get to the same place that Dustin (Brown) took us."
In 2012, Lindholm won a silver medal with Team Sweden at the U-18 Championship.
Lindholm tallied 10 goals and 18 assists in 80 games with the Ducks last season.
Lindholm's addition marks the second time in a week that a Ducks skater has been added to the World Cup roster. Last week, Sweden chose Anaheim center Rickard Rakell to replace injured forward Alex Steen.
"I thought our defense did a real good job last year, but for us to get better, we had to get a little bit more talent, a little bit more speed," Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant told NHL.com. "I think we increased our talent level, our speed, (and) puck movement from the back end."
Yandle signed on for seven seasons with Florida, while Demers put pen to paper for five years. The offseason additions join several other new teammates who have committed to the Panthers long term.
"As a head coach, that's what you like to see. They've got a great future," Gallant said. "We've got a great team there and to get those players all signed to long-term contracts, that's huge for our fan base and that's huge for our hockey team because they're all good hockey players."
In addition to the second division title in club history, the Panthers finished with a franchise-best 103 points last season. This year, the club looks to take the next step, winning its first playoff series since 1996.
Evgeni Malkin's summer has been cut short, and he couldn't be happier.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is dealing with the best problem a hockey player could have, with his season being extended by a deep run in the playoffs that saw him capture his second Stanley Cup, and the impending World Cup of Hockey just a few weeks away.
"These have all been very positive emotions, so they do not interfere," Malkin said, according to NHL.com. "Every player can only dream of a short summer like mine. When you win the Stanley Cup, you just don't have any regrets, you enjoy every single day. You only feel positive emotions, and those are the ultimate pleasures. (The) short summer did not hurt me. I think, I am in pretty good shape."
Malkin will help spearhead a strong Russian contingent at the World Cup, where he'll look to add another international championship to his name after collecting World Championships in 2012 and 2014, and a World Under-18 Championship in 2004.
"Each victory slowly fills this void," Malkin said. "Every time you get a chance to defend the colors of your national team in any international tournament, whether it's the World championship, the Olympic Games, or the World Cup, it's a great honor."
Russia's first test of the tournament comes Sept. 18, when they open against Sweden.
