The Vegas Golden Knights signed top free agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year deal worth $8.8 million per season on Monday night. Pietrangelo, 30, served as the captain of the St. Louis Blues as they captured their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history a year ago. He spent 12 years with the Blues, tallying 450 points (109 goals, 341 assists) in 758 games. Canadian network TSN reported that Pietrangelo received a full no-trade clause as part of his deal. The Blues’ apparent refusal to include a no-trade clause reportedly led Pietrangelo to look elsewhere for his next deal. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound player will add a physical presence on the Golden Knights’ blue line in addition to his production in the offensive zone. Pietrangelo has a lifetime plus-77 rating and averaged at least 22 minutes of ice time in each of the past 10 seasons. Pietrangelo had 16 goals and 36 assists in 70 games during the 2020 regular season, getting selected to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career. He added a goal and five assists in nine playoff games this year. During the Blues’ 2019 title run, he led all players with 16 postseason assists, and his lone goal of the Stanley Cup Final stood as the winner in Game 7. The Blues anticipated Pietrangelo’s exit when they signed ex-Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug to a seven-year deal worth $6.5 million a year on Friday. St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said Pietrangelo’s legacy in St. Louis would endure. “He’s been a stalwart player for us for a number of years,” he said. “He was part of a championship caliber team. If I had to describe, I’d say he’s gonna go on as one of the best Blues ever.”