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St. Louis Blues: Grading Blues Performances In December

By Jason Martin

ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 5: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues takes a shot against the Edmonton Oilers at Enterprise Center on December 5, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 5: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues takes a shot against the Edmonton Oilers at Enterprise Center on December 5, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 20: St. Louis Blues Defenceman Colton Parayko (55) pushes away Vancouver Canucks Center Markus Granlund (60) during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 20, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 5-1. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 20: St. Louis Blues Defenceman Colton Parayko (55) pushes away Vancouver Canucks Center Markus Granlund (60) during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 20, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 5-1. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Colton Parayko: A+

With Alex Pietrangelo going down with an injury that caused him to miss about the entire month of December, the top line of the defense was in flux. Luckily for the Blues, both Parayko and Joel Edmundson took control and played very well for St. Louis.

Parayko has played on the top pairing in the past, but this time around, the Blues youngster met and then exceeded all expectations. The 25-year-old is now second on the team on time on ice, averaging 22:43 which would be a career high.

During the captain’s absence, Parayko and Edmundson shut down some of the best players and lines in the league. Not only did his defensive ability take off this month, but his offensive output took off as well.

Parayko already has seven goals on the year which is two off of his career high of nine set in his rookie season. He is seemingly more aggressive with his shot recently, and for good reason. Clocked at over 100 mph at the 2017 Winter Classic, Parayko has one of the hardest shots in the league and Blues fans and coaches have been imploring him to shoot the puck more.

Number 55 was one of the Blues best players in December, and a case could be made that the Blues would be much worse if Parayko were not on the roster.

Even if the Blues sell off some players in the coming months, the Blues should not move Parayko, and he has demonstrated that he possesses the ability to be a top defenseman against some of the league’s best players.

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