Stanley Cup Champion. Olympian for Team Canada. Colton Parayko has had quite a career, all of it spent with the St. Louis Blues. Now 33 years old, the veteran defenseman is entering the twilight of his career--and his role with the Blues ought to shift accordingly.
For most of his tenure, Parayko has been a reliable, big-minutes defenseman who could chip in some offense at five-on-five. As he's aged, however, some of that offensive ability has dried up; he's still steady at even strength, but the points aren't coming as easily as they used to.
Impact in 2025-26
The Blues as a whole struggled last season, and a lot of that was due to weak goaltending, but the skaters underwhelmed, too. Parayko saw a slight dip in his ice time--22:12 per night, his lowest since the Covid-shortened season when he played 21:20. He also only scored 18 points in 71 games, again his lowest point total since the12 points he put up in the 2020-21 season, in which he only played 32 games.
Oh, right, and he almost got traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. Parayko invoked his no-movement clause, though, which nixed the trade. The Blues made a late-season push for the playoffs, but wound up missing by a few points. It seems that, for now, Parayko will remain a Blue.
Parayko wasn't the only one to struggle with offense last year, but no one really stepped up to replace his production. That's probably going to be the new normal for him, too.
Expectations for 2026-27
Parayko is entering the twilight of his career and, if past aging curves are anything to go by, that's typically when defensemen begin to lose their offensive abilities. With any luck, that won't be an issue for the Blues: they have prospects like Adam Jiricek on the rise, and Logan Mailloux seems poised to take a step forward this season.
The real question, then, is whether Parayko can still handle the tough minutes against top competition. Philip Broberg is the Blues' undisputed No. 1 defenseman, but his partner for next season remains up in the air. If Cam Fowler is able to rediscover his game at all, he'd make a great partner for Broberg; if he doesn't, then the job on the top pair falls to Parayko.
The stability that Parayko provides could be a boon to Broberg as he develops further, but it may also limit the ceiling of the Blues' top pair. At the very least, Parayko needs to remain steady at even strength and provide support. His best years may be behind him, but that doesn't mean he can't still be a valuable part of the Blues' blue line.
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