May 2, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) takes a shot against the Los Angeles Kings in game two of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The number one priority for Doug Armstrong entering the start of NHL free agency may not be signing Alex Pietrangelo to a long term deal.

It has been rumored that Pietrangelo is looking for a deal north of seven million per season. St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong may be willing to test the waters to see what kind of offer sheet Pietrangelo may receive to attempt to lower his asking price.

While Pietrangelo is touted as one of the best, young defensive players in the game, he has yet to truly prove himself. Looking at his play in the shortened season of 2013, Petro looked as though he was more focused on joining the offensive side of the game than playing in his own zone.

The Blues have surely been battling with numbers since their season ended in the first round of the playoffs. The real question is should the Blues pay Pietrangelo for the player he could become or pay him for the play that they have seen so far. The difference could be as much as two million per season, which over an eight year deal is quite substantial.

Jeremy Rutherford of the Post Dispatch tweeted,

Petro’s agent, Don Meehan: “Nothing new to report. Doug indicated to me at the Draft he would be in touch with us within the near future.” — Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 3, 2013

If the Blues are willing to hold off on getting Pietrangelo under contract, perhaps Armstrong believes that he will not get the type of offer sheet that many fear he could receive. In this case, Armstrong might be thinking his value could drop if an offer comes in less than seven million per season. If not, and a huge offer comes in, well then the Blues don’t really lose anything as they planned on paying for him all along.

What do you think Blues fans? Is this just a way to try and keep costs down? Is Pietrangelo just trying to make a little extra and test the open market? Or, are the Blues going to lock him up fast enough that none of this will matter. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

More as we have it.

LET’S GO BLUES!

-Alex Hodschayan