Living in the moment
Pending NHL unrestricted free agents put their future earnings on line in postseason
Alex Pietrangelo and his wife had ongoing discussions about whether he should return to the ice when the NHL season resumes with a 24-team playoff.
In addition to wanting to keep the couple’s infant triplets safe during the coronavirus pandemic, the 30-year-old captain of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues is heading into free agency while in his prime. He decided to play.
“The focus right now is just kind of getting through this healthy and playing, and we’ll see where things end up,” Pietrangelo said.
Staying healthy has added importance for Pietrangelo and players including Torey Krug of the Boston Bruins, Taylor Hall of the Arizona Coyotes, Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals and more than 100 other pending unrestricted free agents taking part in the playoffs.
That’s important to note, because a stay in these “bubbles” could be as brief as 12 days for any teams swept in the best-of-five qualifying round, or as long as 70 days for those who make it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals in Edmonton.
It’s no wonder a lot of Blue Jackets brought their favorite gaming devices, laptops and tablets to go with their smartphones. Some of their suitcases could probably fit a grown adult in them (which would be severely frowned upon).
“Yeah, they’re all bringing their Xbox or Playstation,” Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson said, sounding like the father he has become twice over the past two years. “All the young guys, that’s what they’re looking forward to. I’m just going to keep it simple. Not really looking to impress anyone, so I’m just going to bring the necessities.”
He’s not the only one. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and coach John Tortorella also packed light, and late in Korpisalo’s case.
“I don’t have too much stuff, so it’s an easy job,” he said Friday after the Jackets’ final scrimmage of training camp. “I’m a light packer, and usually I’m a late packer, too — maybe the night before we leave. I didn’t pack that much stuff from Finland (on his return), so I guess I’m going to bring everything I have.”