St. Louis Blues: Making a case to keep Colton Parayko

The St. Louis Blues had their defensive depth tested at the end of the 2017-2018 season. Despite the trade rumors regarding defenseman Colton Parayko, the Blues should not trade the 25-year-old.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko burst on to the NHL scene in the 2015-2016 season and the 6-6 230 pound righthanded shot from St. Albert, Alberta has been a force to be reckoned with both on offense and defense ever since his first shift.

Parayko, by most standards, has not met his offensive potential despite having one of the hardest shots in the league. After an impressive 33-point rookie campaign and being named to the NHL All-Rookie 1st team, Parayko has steadily been around the 30-35 point threshold to start his young career.

His offensive numbers on the surface are not that impressive, he scored a career-high nine goals during his rookie campaign and has not registered more than six in the two seasons since.

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However, what makes him a threat in the offensive zone is his 100mph shot that strikes fear into every goaltender and defender bold enough to put their body in front of the shot.

The Shea Weber, Zdeno Chara-like shot from the point, is a lethal weapon to have on any powerplay in the league, let alone a struggling powerplay unit similar to the one the Blues displayed all season a year ago.

The real value that Parayko possesses is in his skating ability and his defensive awareness. He is one of the fastest skaters on the roster despite his impressive frame and has seen time on the power play and penalty kill.

Let’s not forget, he is only 25 years old and will not turn 26 until May and by then, could be a key contributor to a deep playoff run.

We have seen the Blues give Parayko an increased role on the ice as well, his time on ice has increased from 15:32 during his rookie season, to 22:37 a year ago including the aforementioned time on the power play and penalty kill. His presence on the ice seems to make the defenseman he is paired with better and gives Jake Allen much-needed confidence in the net.

The Blues also had their defensive depth exposed toward the end of the 2017-2018 season when veterans Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson went down with injuries that ended their season early.

St. Louis had to call upon rookie Mitch Reinke and veteran Chris Butler to solidify the blue line for the final two weeks of the season. These two players combined to appear in just 13 games in the previous three years and was a reminder for fans and the front office, just how thin the depth of the defensive core is.

The Blues do have some young defensive talent in the system, highlighted by Jordan Schmaltz, however, the defensive core was vulnerable during a crucial set of games to end the season. The potential loss of Parayko would cripple the depth of an already weak NHL-ready defensive core.

The justification of trading Parayko was to acquire the much-needed top 6 forward that the Blues desperately needed after an overall lackluster offensive season.

Though the work that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has done in the offseason, signing forwards David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Patrick Maroon, while trading for Buffalo Sabers’ forward Ryan O’Reilly, the rumored returns of a top-6 forward may no longer fit the needs of the team.

Players like Edmonton’s Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl, or Toronto’s William Nylander have been rumored as a possible return, although great players, would now seem to be an unnecessary addition at the expense of a 25-year-old defenseman who is signed long term.