St. Louis Blues: 5 Biggest Turkeys Of 2018-19 So Far
By Todd Panula
3. Joel Edmundson/Colton Parayko
This one is especially disheartening. When we first laid eyes on Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson, we all got stars in our eyes and had dreams of the next dynamic duo that would lead this defensive core for years to come.
Reality has slapped us in the face a little bit since then. It is hard to argue their regression, defensively, in each season following their rookie campaign.
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Offensively, these two have been fine. Edmundson’s numbers have actually gone up each year, including goal totals. Parayko’s goal totals have fluctuated, but he’s always in the mid-30’s for points.
It’s their actual job where things have gone sour. Parayko went from a plus-28 player his rookie year to a minus-player last season. He is above the midline for that stat in 2018-19, but he’s been on the ice for plenty of bad goals too.
His possession stats leave plenty to be desired. Parayko’s Corsi and Fenwick scores have dropped below 50% for the first time in his career.
Edmundson had a rough sophomore season, with those stats lowered, but even now his Corsi and Fenwick are at all-time lows in the low 40’s.
What is even more puzzling is these two don’t seem to play well together any more. Their first year, they seemed to compliment the other. Once separated, however, they seem to have lost that chemistry.
Now, though you have two guys capable of playing on the top line, they don’t seem to play well together on the second or third pairing. Maybe it’s a mental thing. They are definitely part of the problem though, even if not the main one.