St. Louis Blues Must Tread Carefully With Colton Parayko’s Free Agency

The St. Louis Blues would be crazy to let Colton Parayko go via free agency this summer. That does not mean they have to be silly with what they offer him.

The St. Louis Blues know they have a potentially special player in Colton Parayko. In his brief time in the NHL, he has shown talent that is capable of being a cornerstone player for the franchise for years to come.

The team is not shy about being public with their thoughts on the up and coming defenseman. Team general manager, Doug Armstrong has even put him among the core names of the team.

“I believe he’s a cornerstone player we could go long term with if it works out economically term-wise for us,” Armstrong said. “We’ll be a cap team, or very close to a cap team, and we’ve got to try to fit as many good pieces in there. (But) he’s here long-term whether it’s long-term on shorter deals or long-term on one deal. He’s a cornerstone.”

The beginning to the last thought is especially important with regards to Parayko. The team has to bring him back, but they cannot go crazy in doing so.

There are fans out there that think with their hearts, not their heads. We all do it at various times. This is a scenario where the Blues have to think with their heads.

Fans, who are not in charge of signing the checks that give out millions of dollars, are more than happy to give Parayko a blank check. Some would even be willing to make him the top right handed defenseman.

Regardless of how highly we rank Parayko’s talents, the team must still keep an eye on the financial bottom line. They cannot give this kid the moon and the stars even if that’s what he might want at this early stage.

While interest in him will not be as high if he was an unrestricted free agent, it will still be there. The rest of the league is starting to figure out how good he is.

“On Sept. 3, I had no idea who Colton Parayko was and now a year later … I definitely know who Colton Parayko is,” Jon Cooper said after coaching him at the World Cup and World Championships. “He’s basically what every general manager in hockey wants. He’s a (6-foot-6) defenseman that can play every inch of the ice. You need him on the power play, he can do it. You need him on the penalty kill, he can do it. You need him 4 on 4, he can do it. You need him 3 on 3, he can do it. He can play in every situation.”

That’s high praise from a guy who knows his hockey. Cooper won two NAHL championships in St. Louis, a Clark Cup in the USHL and a Stanley Cup.

With praise coming, the Blues are caught in a tough place. You don’t want to be forced to pay an exorbitant amount if a team with no cap restrictions gives him an offer sheet. You also don’t want to simply throw numbers out there in fear of losing him.

The Blues must be smart. Locking him up to a long-term deal would be fine, but the numbers must make sense for the team.

Fans can point to Chicago all they want, but they are starting to feel the effects of their long-term contracts. The level of the talent at their top has kept that from happening sooner.

St. Louis already has enough deals that seemed smart at the time and proved otherwise later. For me, it is not the length, but the dollars that the Blues have to focus on.

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Parayko is only 24. Give him a 10 year deal and, assuming health, he will probably be worth it.

However, it is the money that matters. That is not to say Parayko does not deserve a good payday. The Bues just cannot corner themselves.

St. Louis only has around $4 million in cap space right now. That has to be split up between Parayko’s raise, any other re-signings and any free agents brought in.

The number will go up after the expansion draft. Still, you need to give yourself room to expand the roster beyond its current limitations either this summer or beyond.

Throwing money at Parayko gets you a really good, possibly great player. It might keep you from signing another one though.

Fortunately for the Blues, and their fans, Parayko doesn’t seem to be overly interested in breaking the bank. He’s not going to be a fool, but he’s not going to be a stuckup hold out either.

“Obviously I want to come back to St. Louis,” Parayko said regarding his contract status. “So yeah, I would like something to get done, but for me the time frame is not a concern. I don’t want to worry about hurrying up a deal or trying to drag one out, but just work together and do it the proper way.”

In the end, this talk will likely be for nothing. Parayko is not going anywhere.

Toronto can hope to bring him in, but it’s not going to happen. Say what you want about Doug Armstrong, but he’s not going to let one of his best players go.

The only bind the Blues are in is how much is he worth now and how much will he be worth down the road. Do you risk a short-term deal and the market going even higher later? Or do you sign him long term and hope you can make moves elsewhere to keep the team competitive?

Next: Colton Parayko's Final Grade for 2016-17

It’s not an enviable position, but that’s why GM’s are paid big bucks. The Blues have to be smart here.

They want this guy wearing the Note for a very long time. You don’t want the team to be Parayko, Vladimir Tarasenko and a bunch of third-liners forever though and that is the thin line they will have to toe.