Rumor: Alex Pietrangelo may have made his decision.

There's nothing official to report just yet, but arguably the top insider in the game when it comes to Alex Pietrangelo is reporting that the former St. Louis Blues captain may be very close to finalizing his decision.

Yesterday we reported that Pietrangelo had been spotted boarding a plane to Las Vegas, Nevada and after that initial report it was eventually confirmed that the top free agent on the open market this summer would be meeting with the Golden Knights organization in order to discuss the possibility of a new contract. That was yesterday, and based on reports we are getting today it seems as though those initial conversations with the Golden Knights have gone exceptionally well.

St. Louis Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford, who has been in regular contact with Pietrangelo throughout this process, is now reporting that he is hearing the Golden Knights and Pietrangelo are closing in on a new deal for the elite blue liner. The deal is not done yet, but based on what Rutherford is saying it sounds like the announcement could be coming very shortly.

"Hearing a deal between Alex Pietrangelo and Vegas could be getting close," said the Blues insider. "A decision/announcement may come as soon as tonight."

Rutherford is an impeccable source when it comes to everything Blues and he has been covering Pietrangelo for many years now and I have no questions about his authenticity here. That is what makes this report all the more crazy however given that the Golden Knights currently look like a team that in no way will have the kind of money needed to offer Pietrangelo a long term deal, at least not when it comes to the National Hockey League's salary cap.

Currently the Golden Knights have just over $1.875 million in projected cap space for the 2020 - 2021 season, and that is of course without factoring in a new contract for Pietrangelo. In theory moving goaltender Marc Andre Fleury would create a good deal of extra space for the Golden Knights, however it has been widely reported that the Golden Knights have struggled to find a trade partner for Fleury despite making some significant offers. 

As crazy as it sounds to say, the signing of Pietrangelo could just end up being the first of many dominoes to fall if the Golden Knights are expected to make this work.