It is never a good sign when a player comes out to say that an injury they have been dealing with, will pretty much prohibit them from playing hockey again. But that is what happened Monday night as Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo made a statement pretty much retiring from hockey.
He had said that he has been dealing with an injury where he would have to have a major surgery on his hips and that he really was not sure if he was ever going to be able to get his body right to play again.
With this news comes the question of, could a certain Penguins defenseman replace him on their roster and be a fit over there?
Vegas Golden Knights Provide Update on Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo #VegasBorn
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 1, 2025
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Erik Karlsson could be the perfect Pietrangelo replacement
It is no secret that the Penguins are selling and they are selling high. It is also a well-known fact that Erik Karlsson no longer fits on the Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas is looking to trade him.
He would be the perfect Pietrangelo replacement in Vegas. He can be that number-one relied upon defenseman that runs the powerplay and eats up minutes.
He did both in Pittsburgh, sure he did not do either one very well from time-to-time but he can do this in Vegas and really figure it out there.
Vegas might prefer other options over Karlsson
The Vegas Golden Knights could really use Erik Karlsson's services, but they might be looking elsewhere for a defenseman.
It was reported a while ago that they had interest in Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson and he could be a better fit in Vegas than Karlsson can.
But Kyle Dubas needs to work the phone lines and do whatever he can to make Karlsson pack his bags and go be a Vegas Golden Knight. He would fit so good over there and Vegas is a massive contender with their recent addition of Mitch Marner.
Only time will tell within the next few days where Karlsson goes and what his value is.