Colton Parayko is undoubtedly the #1 defenseman in St. Louis. He earned that title after the departure of Alex Pietrangelo left him as the clear #1 option, and he hasn't looked back since.
Parayko is set for another important season as the #1 guy in St. Louis, but is it possible for him to raise his ceiling? After last season, could we be witnessing the birth of a new and more dangerous Parayko?
A new threat emerging?
Parayko is and always has been an excellent defender. He excels at blocking shots and disrupting passing lanes, fulfilling the key responsibilities for a defenseman.
But last season, we saw Parayko set a career high in goals scored at 16, far beyond his previous total of 10. Was this just a flukey season, or has something changed in Parayko?
It's no coincidence that this offensive outburst from the veteran defenseman came under the helm of a new head coach, Jim Montgomery. Montgomery proved himself as one of the best head coaches in the league with his Jack Adams award win in 2023, as well as the impressive run the Blues went on in the latter half of last season.
In Boston, Montgomery also liked to activate the defenseman in the same way we saw Colton Parayko take over this last season. Boston had some real offensive threats from the blue line who flourished under Monty, meaning there is a track record for this kind of thing.
Parayko scored most of his goals much closer to the net than is typical for where a defenseman plays. Under Montgomery, Parayko was much more active in crashing towards the net and getting involved in offensive rush chances, which are plentiful under Montgomery's system.
Parayko now has a coach who can activate him and unlock his full offensive potential, and we saw what that could look like last season. After scoring 16 goals in 64 games (which is a 20-goal pace for a full 82-game season), what heights could Parayko reach this coming year?
A season of promise
At 32 years old, Parayko could be in line for another career year. Typically, defensemen age more gracefully than forwards and can extend their prime into their mid-30s. This is not the case for all defenseman, but there is a track record of a percentage of defenseman who are able to remain key contributors for their team at this age.
This means it might not be time for regression for Parayko, and we could see another season of 20 goal potential. If Parayko can stay healthy under a full year of Montgomery's system, could 20 even be a low bar for him to clear? It seems like he will have a terrific shot at scoring at least 20, if not more.
His ability as an incredibly smart skater, combined with a coaching style that asks more of defenseman to get involved in goalscoring opportunities, could be the perfect storm for Parayko to become just like his predecessor in Alex Pietrangelo and become not only the #1 defensive option, but the #1 offensive option too.
One thing remains true: there is no one on this Blues defense who has a better chance of becoming the next Blues great other than Colton Parayko.