Ex-NHLer Pat Maroon details why $61,600,000 Golden Knights star remains one of the league’s most underrated defensemen

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon offered his insights into why Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is one of the NHL’s most underrated blue liners.

In an appearance on NHL Network published on August 15, the recently retired Maroon detailed why Pietrangelo doesn’t get the recognition he deserves:

"I think he's the type of guy that can play both ends of the ice. I don't think he gets the recognition of how, how good he defends the puck, how defensive he is.” Maroon added, “And my thing is, with him, he breaks out the puck so well, he goes back for the first touch, he breaks up plays. Now he's jumping up in the play, and you can see that too. I mean, he's a guy that does everything.”

Maroon got to know Pietrangelo very well during their time together with the St. Louis Blues, winning the 2019 Stanley Cup there.

That experience allowed Maroon to declare:

“And for him, the power play, five on five, shuts down the top lines. But I think the biggest thing for him that he doesn't get the recognition.”

Maroon added that Pietrangelo’s well-rounded game prevents him from getting more points. But it’s his overall presence that makes him one of the best all-around defenders in the NHL.

Maroon concluded:

“But he's also doing the other things that make your team way better."

Here’s a look at Maroon’s comments:

Pietrangelo, who’s entering the sixth year of a seven-year, $61.6 million contract, is not expected to start the season with the team. He’ll be undergoing hip surgery, and there is no timeline for his potential return to the ice.

Pietrangelo unlikely to play for Golden Knights

Pietrangelo is one of the most well-rounded blue liners in the NHL - Source: Imagn

Earlier this summer, Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon announced that Alex Pietrangelo would be undergoing a hip procedure that would likely keep him off the ice for the foreseeable future.

A piece in The Athletic from July 30 detailed the situation, calling the procedure a “bilateral femur reconstruction with no guarantee of success.”

Pietrangelo missed 11 games for the Golden Knights last season. He also declined to participate for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off due to the injury. Since rehab has been unsuccessful, surgery remains the only option.

Pietrangelo called his return to the Golden Knights’ lineup “low,” and may end up unofficially retiring. The Golden Knights, meanwhile, will most assuredly place Pietrangelo on LTIR. If he is unable to play again, the last two years of his contract will remain on the team’s books.

Pietrangelo has played five seasons with the Golden Knights. He was part of the 2023 team that won the Stanley Cup.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan