This Blues defenseman goes quiet in his Olympic debut

One team that St. Louis Blues fans should keep a close eye on at these Olympics is Canada. Several of the Blues' most important players are set to wear the Canadian sweater. One of these players is Colton Parayko. It will be Parayko's fifth time representing Canada in an international tournament. With him set to play on the second pairing alongside Josh Morrissey, many expected him to play a pivotal role on Canada's defense.

However, in Team Canada's first game, Parayko was a non-factor. In 17:38 minutes of ice time, Parayko failed to record a single point. On its surface, this does not seem like much of a problem. Sure, he's playing with some of the best players in the world, but there is always an adjustment period with new teams. It takes a game or two to build chemistry and get used to everything. But given how he's performed in other tournaments, there is reason to worry.

Colton Parayko performance raises concerns about his international play

During the 4 Nations Faceoff, Parayko was also pretty quiet. In five games, he failed to produce a single point. The only thing of note he did was get into a fight with JT Miller during the explosive opening 10 seconds between the US and Canada. While that has become the highlight of the tournament, you would not have known he played if it had not happened. It's something that would only be brought up if you went on his elite prospect page.

Now, a defenseman not recording a point is not always a bad thing. There are plenty of great defensemen in the NHL who make a big impact but do not appear on a stat sheet. However, Parayko is not one of those defensemen. He contributes a lot that doesn't appear on the stat sheet, and he's also been praised for his shot. The type of player who is lethal from long range. So the fact that he has failed to get on the scoresheet over his last six international performances is a bit jarring.

While this will not affect Canada much, with plenty of players who can score, it could affect Parayko's trade value. His name has been floated around a lot as the Blues shift their attention towards selling at the deadline. The Olympics were almost a showcase for Parayko. An opportunity to show the league what he can do when playing with the best in the world. But if he keeps putting up performance like this, it could end up hurting his value.

While it's only one game, and this all could be an overreaction, with how he performed in the 4 Nations, there are reasons to be concerned. It could be another long tournament for Parayko.