Like locals, Alex Pietrangelo has learned to avoid Strip

Not long after Alex Pietrangelo signed with the Golden Knights as a free agent in October, training facilities opened around the NHL for offseason workouts.

The defenseman was skating in St. Louis with several former Blues teammates, and that’s when he was hit with the reality of his big-money offseason move.

“You’re somewhere your whole career, and then you get kicked out and you’re dressing in the other locker room wearing a different jersey,” Pietrangelo said. “So that was a bit weird.”

Pietrangelo debuted Monday at City National Arena and is settling into his new home after he inked a seven-year, $61.6 million contract to anchor the Knights’ defense.

He even sounded like a longtime Las Vegas local when asked for his early impressions of the city and what’s stood out.

“I guess how little the motivation to go down to the Strip is,” Pietrangelo said. “Everyone knows it for what it is, but now living here, I mean, the desire to go down there isn’t as much as I thought — other than for the food.”

Pietrangelo participated in voluntary skates with the Knights for the past several weeks, which helped make for a smooth transition during his first official day on the ice.

He also played with Ryan Reaves for seven seasons in St. Louis and has crossed paths with a handful of other new teammates at world championships, All-Star Games or other events.

The Knights were divided into two groups for practice and scrimmaged for a 20-minute period as they prepare for the Jan 14 season opener against Anaheim at T-Mobile Arena.

Pietrangelo’s Team White lost 2-1 to Team Gray, which got goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.

“(He) looks a lot better in our uniform than in a St. Louis uniform playing against us,” coach Pete DeBoer said of Pietrangelo. “He’s even more impressive in person, both on and off the ice. He’s got a great hockey IQ. He loves to talk about how he sees the game being played and systems. Real refreshing. We’ve had some good dialogue.”

Pietrangelo finished fourth for the Norris Trophy last season and his 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) would have ranked fourth on the Knights.

He captained St. Louis to the Stanley Cup in 2019 when the Blues wore down teams that postseason with a heavy playing style.

In contrast, the Knights’ systems are built around a swarming forecheck and creating offense in transition, and Pietrangelo noticed the difference during Monday’s scrimmage.

“That’s new to me, playing with forwards that can generate this much speed. I think it helps my game moving the puck,” Pietrangelo said. “As you continue to go and everyone starts finding their place and getting used to the systems, I think it’ll certainly make things easier for me and the way I want to play the game.”

DeBoer opted not to tinker with his top four on defense and plugged Pietrangelo into the vacant spot on the right side next to Brayden McNabb to open camp. Pietrangelo believes McNabb’s physical, stay-at-home style will complement his own play.

McNabb also is known as one of the most vocal players on the ice, which should help with their communication and chemistry.

One adjustment McNabb must make is playing with a right-handed defense partner after skating with lefty Nate Schmidt previously.

“He’s certainly a big body that can allow me to do what I want to do with the puck, moving it quick,” Pietrangelo said. “Again, we’ve had good dialogue together, which is important because if you’re going to play big minutes you want to make sure you’re on the same page with each other.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.