You'd think that a future Hall of Famer like Alex Pietrangelo would garner more respect, specifically from the Vegas Golden Knights' fanbase. After all, he has 148 goals and 489 assists in his 17-year career. Add in 118.2 point shares, 2,095 blocked shots, and 685 takeaways and there's a reason why he's been one of the league's best.
However, some people still don't appreciate him enough. That's especially mind-boggling, considering the Golden Knights are an average 7-4-4 right now.
Maybe some people will finally realize how important Pietrangelo was to not just the blue line but every aspect. Poor guy is a bonafide hall of fame player and got zero respect from a lot of the fans. Heβs a massive massive loss.
β Chris Chapman π³οΈβπγ―γͺγΉ (@Magnum702) November 11, 2025
It's heartbreaking because the Golden Knights goaltending has been exposed to some harsh conditions this season. While Vegas has the 11th-lowest team GAA (2.93) entering Tuesday, fans have seen the team make some fatal errors. For example, Leo Carlsson put on some excellent handles in Saturday's game, helping the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Golden Knights.
Imagine what would've happened if a healthy Pietrangelo were there instead of dealing with his bad hips. He would've picked up his man and taken away the middle of the ice. It's something that Golden Knights fans don't want to admit they miss, yet they secretly do. Pietrangelo's value to the organization stems far beyond his awesome statistics as a defenseman.
The Vegas Golden Knights don't have a true leader without Alex Pietrangelo around
After driving from the Vegas Golden Knights' morning skate on Monday, I tuned in to listen to Gary Lawless. He talked about the absence of a true leader in the locker room. Originally, Alec Martinez had this role when he was with the Golden Knights. But after Martinez left, it was Pietrangelo who took on that role.
Who's taking on that role now? Is it Shea Theodore, who only has six assists to start the season? Is it Noah Hanifin, who's dealt with lower-body injuries to start the season? What about Brayden McNabb? Whatever the case, the Golden Knights quickly need an answer before the blue line goes off the rails.
That also goes for the defenseman production, which hasn't existed this season. Offensively, the unit hasn't done much to help the Golden Knights, with specific players underperforming.
Defenseman | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
Shea Theodore | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Ben Hutton | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Kaedan Korczak | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Jeremy Lauzon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Noah Hanifin | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Brayden McNabb | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Zach Whitecloud | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Much has been made about veteran wingers like Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad underperforming. However, it's also the defensemen who haven't done anything. When Kaedan Korczak is the only blue liner with goals this season, that's a problem.
Sure, there have been some outliers here, including Noah Hanifin's missing time. Still, this is a unit that must step up offensively, starting with putting goals on the board.
Pietrangelo shouldn't get any more slander after seeing the Golden Knights start slowly
Sports fanbases have grown extremely fickle in the past decade. People tend to lose patience quicker, hoping for their favorite team(s) to turn around. When it doesn't happen? Sheer pandemonium occurs.
In fact, some fans lose their collective minds over certain players. Remember when Marc-Andre Fleury was unexpectedly traded and that set off a firestorm in Sin City? Some fans even boycotted the team after the legendary goaltender found out on Twitter (of all places).
Ironically, some fans also overlook the importance of other players. That includes Pietrangelo, who provided ample scoring and leadership when he was with the Golden Knights. It's no wonder he's reverred as one of the best defensemen in the past decade.
He's also why the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023. When Vegas needed a true 1D, Pietrangelo fit the mold perfectly. Now? That role's open again. You could really use someone like him in that spot right now, eh?