St. Louis Blues New Year Resolutions For The Defensemen
By Todd Panula
Colton Parayko
Colton Parayko has shown quite a bit since getting top-line minutes due to Pietrangelo’s injury. It was great to see him step up to the plate.
The problem was that it took that situation for him to step up. Parayko’s start to 2018-19 was as bleak as the team’s.
He seemed to have regressed to the point where people were questioning whether he was truly a keeper any longer. With rumors swirling of interest from teams like Toronto, plenty of fans were willing to hear what the offers were.
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At this stage, we all have to realize that Parayko is his own player. Though he shares physical traits with someone like Chris Pronger, that sort of style just is not in his game.
He also boasts a shot with similar power to Al MacInnis. However, it also does not seem to be in his game to just let it fly with reckless abandon.
Despite that, Parayko’s resolution needs to be to let that shot go more often. He’s already become more of an offensive weapon this season, but he needs to keep it up and give the Blues’ opponents something to fear from the blue line.
Parayko’s eight goals as of January 4 put him one shy of his career high. If he keeps ripping away like he needs to, the assist totals are going to pick up and the goals will come too.
The Blues don’t have to have Parayko be an offensive powerhouse like Kevin Shattenkirk used to be. He needs to be a weapon, nonetheless and using his shot is the best way.