The St. Louis Blues have three players heading to the Olympic Games in Milan, with two going to represent Canada and one for Sweden. Defenseman Philip Broberg will be manning the Swedish squad, while goaltender Jordan Binnington and defenseman Colton Parayko are representing Team Canada.
Binnington's nomination was a given due to his excellent showing in the Four Nations Face-off last season, but caused a little bit of controversy with his current campaign with the Blues this season. The same can be said of Parayko, who has been underwhelming as well.
Team Canada's fans have highlighted Binnington as being the biggest question mark heading into the best-on-best tournament, but there should be more questions about Parayko. This season has been confusing and puzzling for No. 55, and that should have resonated with missing the Olympics. Instead, Canada's General Manager and Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong went with his guy.
Why is it puzzling, and why should it have gone a different direction? Let's talk about it.
Parayko hasn't been himself this season
When thinking of the skillset of Parayko and what he brings to the table, it is like a Swiss Army knife. He has speed, power, aggression, and grit. Couple all of that with an impressive Hockey IQ, durability, and poise, and you've got yourself a franchise d-man. Which is what he has been for a number of years for the Blue Note, but this season feels different.
Many of those labels have not been relevant. Parayko has been slow, indecisive, and terrible overall on the blueline. Much can be said for just about everyone in that unit, but it should not be Parayko who seems expendable at the moment.
Looking at his contribution, Parayko went from a career-high 16 goals last season to a big old donut this year. That's right, zero goals in 42 games this season. He has 11 assists, which is not nothing, but not something either.
One gleaming stat from NHL Edge paints a picture here, as the big booming shot from him has not been prevelent this season. In 2024-25, his hardest shot scorched 102.3 MPH, as well as a 99, 97, 96, and 95 MPH shot. This season, his highest has only been 95.1 MPH, which was against Calgary on October 11. That is a stark difference, and a potential reason for not being able to get on the score-sheet this season.
There is a lot more to that, as the Blues' offense has been lacking overall. A team-high of 11 goals by defenseman Justin Faulk is not ideal, and top-scorers like Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway have been silent this year. Parayko was supposed to amongst that group with expectations of hitting the 20-goal mark this season, and he is nowhere close at the halfway point.
An Olympic nomination?
Parayko's place at the Olympics was likely due to his performance in the Four Nations Face-off. This is what a lot of the teams that were there last season are doing for the best-on-best tournament, with many more nations represented. Sweden did it, Team USA followed a similar blueprint. Changes were made, but not anything drastic.
This tournament could be a good thing for Parayko, as well as Binnington, which in turn is a good thing for the Blues. This team started 2026 with a bang, and the hope is that it can turn around this misfortune of the 2025-26 season.