Pietrangelo 'caught off guard' by Blues signing Krug

Alex Pietrangelo hasn't made up his mind about where he'll play next season, but he admitted to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford he was "caught off guard" by the St. Louis Blues signing defenseman Torey Krug on Friday.

Pietrangelo rejected the Blues' latest offer and decided to test free agency, but he never officially counted out returning to the club he's captained for the past four seasons, Rutherford adds.

St. Louis, barring a drastic move or two, essentially closed the door on re-signing Pietrangelo by bringing in Krug - the second-best UFA defenseman available - on a seven-year, $45.5 million contract.

With the Krug deal, the Blues are above the $81.5 million salary cap threshold with restricted free agent blue-liner Vince Dunn still to sign. Teams are allowed to be 10% above the cap during the offseason.

Pietrangelo hasn't given any indication on where and when he might sign. The 31-year-old All-Star notched 52 points in 70 regular-season games last season while averaging over 24 minutes per night.