The start of the St. Louis Blues' training camp is fewer than six weeks away and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, a restricted free agent, remains the team's last unsigned player. The Blues have waited deep into the summer to re-sign many of their own RFAs, but never this deep under general manager Doug Armstrong. The latest to sign previously was defenseman Erik Johnson, in 2010, when he was brought into the fold on Aug. 2. That date has now passed, and adding to the anxiety among fans is that despite dialogue between Armstrong and Pietrangelo's agent, Don Meehan of Newport Sports Management, no agreement is imminent. A breakthrough in negotiations is always possible, but with time slipping away, the potential of a holdout is also plausible. The last two NHL players to miss part of the regular season - Montreal's P.K. Subban and Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly - are represented by Newport. "There's really nothing to report," Armstrong said. "My belief is that it's better to stay quiet until we have a conclusion to it and we're not there now."

The St. Louis Blues are about $8 million under the salary cap ceiling but have yet to sign RFA's Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Stewart and Jake Allen. The Blues are not adverse to trading some veterans to get under the cap should the trio cost them more than eight million. Pietrangelo figures to get the most money as young talented defensemen are the tough to find and some NHL teams may consider an offer sheet. Pietrangelo had five goals and 24 points in 47 games last season after a 12 goal, 51 point season in 2011-12 in which he was a plus-16. Pietrangelo is only 23 and has a huge future ahead of him. He is worth drafting as a top-10 defenseman in fantasy pools.

St. Louis Blues GM Dough Armstrong doesn't expect Alex Pietrangelo or Chris Stewart to be re-signed by the time free agency opens Friday. Both players will be restricted free agents after the team tendered them by Tuesday's deadline. The Blues are playing with fire a bit here as each player appears to be a candidate for a rival offer sheet, particularly Pietrangelo. Although he took a step back in 2013, Pietrangelo remains one of the better young defensemen in the game. Stay tuned.

St. Louis Blues extend qualifying offer to Alex Pietrangelo. Pietrangelo will be a restricted free agent when the market opens Friday and it remains to be seen how far the Blues will go to retain him. Pietrangelo took a step back this season after a stellar sophomore campaign but was still a solid top-four defensemen. Still, we expect Pietrangelo will remain in St. Louis and will return to his 12-goal, 51-point form of 2011-12 next season.

Alex Pietrangelo will likely become a restricted free agent in the off-season. The Blues and the agent for Pietrangelo have not had many discussions thus far to prevent the defenseman from testing the waters on July 5 but with the Blues having the right to match any offer, it is very unlikely that Pietrangelo will head elsewhere. "He had a good year, but not as good a year as his second year," GM Doug Armstrong said of Pietrangelo. "So we have to figure out where all that fits into the market moving forward. As I look at our group, he has the best opportunity to be an elite (player) of anyone on our team right now. But opportunity has to cross-sect with the final result." Pietrangelo had five goals and 24 points in 47 games with an even plus-minus rating in 2013 after a 12 goal, 51 point effort with a plus-16 effort in 2011-12. Look for him to return to 2011-12 form next season and draft him accordingly.

Alex Pietrangelo scored a goal in St. Louis' 3-2 overtime loss Wednesday. Pietrangelo has two points in this series. Even with the team's strong core of defenseman, Pietrangelo is still averaging 27:39 minutes per game in the playoffs. He has a plus-two rating while his team is one defeat away from elimination going into Game 6.

Alex Pietrangelo recorded an assist in a 2-1 victory Thursday. Pietrangelo also logged a team-high 26:31 minutes of ice time. He's part of the Blues' superb core of defenseman and should continue to play a huge role in St. Louis' postseason run. The Blues currently have a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.

Alex Pietrangelo has been a plus-six since the arrival of Jay Bouwmeester. Pietrangelo's defense partner has helped out the young defenseman. Pietrangelo still has not found the back of the net in his last 20 games after scoring five times in his first 23 games but he has an assist in each of his last four games, giving him 24 points in 44 games this season.

Alex Pietrangelo has not found the back of the net in his last 17 games. The Blues are having a hard time scoring and Pietrangelo is right in that mix with only four assists in his last 17. He has five goals and 20 points in 40 games but a lot more was expected of him offensively this season.

Alex Pietrangelo returned from the flu on Tuesday. Pietrangelo had five shots on goal in 25:00 minutes of ice time. He has five goals and 13 assists in 28 contests this season.