St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) and center Brayden Schenn (10) battle for the puck during the first period of an intraquad NHL hockey scrimmage at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo., Saturday, July. 18, 2020. (Colter Peterson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Boston Bruins' Torey Krug plays against the Carolina Hurricanes during an NHL hockey game in Boston. Krug and many other pending free agents would have already cashed in at this point in the summer in a regular year. Instead, returning to compete in the NHL playoffs after time away represents a significant injury risk with free agency looming in October and the chance of something serious jeopardizing next season. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2020, file photo, St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver. Pietrangelo, and many other pending free agents would have already cashed in at this point in the summer in a regular year. Instead, returning to compete in the NHL playoffs after time away represents a significant injury risk with free agency looming in October and the chance of something serious jeopardizing next season. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)