2 days Ago
ST. LOUIS — Colton Parayko has played in nearly 800 NHL games and has been in just three fights. So it was a bit of a surprise to see the St.
Louis Blues defensemen drop the gloves for Canada on Saturday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Then again, it came in a shocking start to the round-robin game between Canada and the U.S.
, with three fights in the first nine seconds. The 6-foot-6, 228-pound Parayko took on the Americans’ J.T.
Miller and got the better of the punches thrown. “I expected an intense start, for sure, an emotional one, or however you want to put it,” Parayko said afterward . “But, I mean, I don’t know if you really expect three fights or whatever.
But yeah, you definitely expect an intense start.” J.T.
Miller vs Colton Parayko from the Team United States at Team Canada game on Feb 15, 2025 https://t.co/7GCVCfA0AK — hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) February 16, 2025 The U.S.
won the game 3-1 over the Canadians and will have a rematch with them in the gold-medal game Thursday. The Blues were winners, too, because Parayko came out of the bout with Miller without an unfortunate injury. As we wait to see what’s next for Parayko and Team Canada against Team USA, let’s tend to your questions in part 1 of our Blues mailbag.
(Note: Some questions have been edited lightly for length and clarity.) What’s your take on all these trade rumors involving Brayden Schenn? Major respect for the guy, but I also get why the Blues want to rid themselves of that contract. Thoughts? — Michael P.
When Blues general manager Doug Armstrong waived Brandon Saad last month, he said of the team’s core , “There’s been a group that’s been here for a while, and things don’t seem to be changing.” If we’re thinking of that core, we’re probably talking about Schenn, Parayko, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington, right? Advertisement Well, who in that group would make sense to trade that teams around the league would be interested in? Sure, guys like Thomas, Kyrou, Parayko and possibly Buchnevich have a lot of value, and you could move them, but what are you getting back? Binnington is a good goalie, but I just don’t know that he’d generate a lot of interest, and he may be worth more to the Blues than the return would yield. Faulk would be a tough one, and you’d likely have to sweeten the pot.
That leaves Schenn. He’s your captain, a very respected player and is playing well this season. But if you’re the Blues and you’re trying to change up the core, he might be a guy who, at 33 years old, isn’t seen as part of the future — and teams might be interested in him.
Many people, including myself, wonder how the three years left on his contract ($6.5 million average annual value) would limit the market, but the salary cap is rising significantly, so perhaps that’s not as big of an issue as it seems. The Athletic ’s Chris Johnston listed Schenn as No.
11 on his recent NHL trade board and wrote, “The team is believed to at least be gauging interest on (him).” As I’ve written in the past, Armstrong keeps these conversations close to the vest in St. Louis, but other national writers such as TSN’s Darren Dreger have also noted the Blues having feelers out on Schenn.
Keep in mind, Schenn does have a full no-trade clause, but according to PuckPedia , it becomes a modified no-trade clause this summer in which he can veto a deal to 15 teams. That’s the biggest factor in all of this: Does Schenn want to stay in St. Louis? He’s said repeatedly that he loves playing for the Blues, but if there’s a contending team interested, would he waive his no-trade to facilitate a deal? If he would, he’s one of the few players in that core group where it could make sense.
Advertisement What do you think the Blues could realistically get in return? — Christopher R. Well, Dreger used the word “mammoth” when talking about a potential return. I’d never question him, but as I mentioned earlier, I still wonder about the three years left on his deal that take Schenn to age 36.
Will teams be giving a lot back under those circumstances? Perhaps. There are Cup contenders who, again with the rising cap, would sneeze at the $6.5 million cap hit.
That’s what makes analyzing the return difficult. I’ve read fans are debating whether Schenn could fetch a first-round pick. I think if the Blues could get a first-rounder and move Schenn’s contract, they would.
But what else is going both ways? Are the Blues retaining salary? I don’t think Armstrong is going to make a deal just to make it. As I wrote in my recent trade tier story , say what you want to say about the Blues’ leadership, but the overall group has not been good enough this season. Schenn is seen as a good captain, though, and the club needs more pros around the younger players, not less.
So I think the ask might be bigger than we’d expect, and if the GM doesn’t get it, we’ve seen in the past that he’ll hang onto the player. Any idea which teams are interested in Schenn? — Lee L. The only team I’ve heard thus far is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who could use a center and some more toughness, and of course, the coach there (Craig Berube) would know exactly what he’s getting.
Who would be the next captain? — Dana D. If the Blues did name one, my guess would be Thomas. I know that is going to get second-guessed by some people (more on that in the next question), but I just don’t see another player on the roster who’s A) a veteran cut out for the role, and B) a younger player ready for the role.
Do you get a feeling that the team wants Thomas to be a bit more of a leader? — Jason W. Yes. I know there’s a desire within the organization for Thomas to have more of an impact on and off the ice.
I know he’s a player they’ve spoken to about having better body language. This doesn’t mean he’s not respected. He is.
But I think the club wants more from him. Advertisement Thomas is not the Alpha we thought or that we hoped for. I am happy to be patient, but it is weird to see Thomas taking a step back this year.
Thoughts? — Bjwsix1 There have been games this season in which the team needed its best players to be its best players, and while Thomas wasn’t the only one, he wasn’t a factor in those games. I would caution this: I think his ankle remains an issue. I don’t know how much it’s hindering him, but I don’t think it’s 100 percent.
For years I’ve heard what big stars Thomas and Kyrou are, but in the last few weeks, I’ve heard media say the Blues don’t have any stars. What gives? — Mark B. There are so many ways to look at this.
For starters, they were both high draft picks, so for years the hope was for them to be stars. They’ve both been selected to All-Star Games, so you can say they’ve reached that level. But what the media and others are saying is that the Blues don’t have game-breaking stars who you can count on consistently to win games.
That doesn’t mean they can’t still become that. But seven years into their careers, they’re viewed as the Blues’ best players and not among the top 15 or 20 players in the NHL in terms of star power. It’s understandable because those players are usually top-five picks, but the fact is the Blues don’t have one of those players.
Kyrou’s trade value might be at its peak now. If Armstrong were to move him, would it be to acquire draft capital, established players or a mix of both? — Jordan I. Yes, this could be his peak value, but keep in mind you’d be trading a potential 40-goal scorer who’s getting better defensively and is locked up for six more seasons ($8.
125 million AAV), which will look pretty cheap as the cap climbs. If Armstrong moved Kyrou, he could go any direction with the return package, but if the Blues are not getting an established offensive player back, this retool is going to take a lot longer. It seems like Thomas and Buchnevich have let the funk get into their heads.
Am I reading too much into this, or is there some lack of resiliency you see? — Matt H. Both are better players than they’ve shown. I touched on Thomas, so regarding Buchnevich, he just needs to get back to being himself.
The whole center/wing debate is over. He’s playing the position he prefers, and he’s playing for a coach he likes. As Jim Montgomery said in our recent Q&A , Buchnevich needs to go to the hard areas.
GO DEEPER Q&A: Montgomery on Blues' performance, biggest challenge and top need Should the Blues trade Buchnevich? — Jason M. I don’t know if it’s possible with a six-year, $48 million ($8 million AAV) contract kicking in next season. I’m sure there would be clubs interested, but would it make much sense for the Blues to try to trade him when he’s having a down year? For that reason and more, they have to hope he comes out of this and is a productive player as he’s been in the past.
What would Buchnevich’s value be as a UFA rental if he hadn’t signed the extension? — G.R. If the Blues were trying to move him before March 7, I think they’d be getting a little less in return than they thought a year ago.
If it was a lot less, that’s because they were asking for too much. But Buchnevich has a track record, including a 30-goal season, so I believe they could still have gotten a nice return from a playoff team if he were a pending UFA. Advertisement Jake Neighbours had a fantastic offensive year last year parking himself at the top of the paint.
Why isn’t he doing the same thing this year? — John S. That has been noticeable, but it’s more pronounced because he hasn’t scored as much. He had 27 goals last season, and 20 of them were from high-danger areas.
This season he has 13 goals, nine of which were from high-danger areas. Could he have more if he were there more often? Possibly. It’s a tough way to play, which is why you don’t see many players doing it year after year.
It’s good to see the trend of the Blues’ defensemen scoring lately. Will they focus on rebuilding from the D line up? — James R F. Indeed, the Blues are tied for No.
2 in the NHL with 29 goals among defensemen, per Statmuse . Montgomery likes his D playing closer to the play in the offensive zone, so regardless of the personnel, he’ll want future defensemen playing that way. Are you still as high on Philip Broberg as you were in October/November? — Edward B.
There has been a drop-off in production. In his first 15 games, he had 12 points and was a plus-7. In his past 28 games, he has five points and is minus-2.
What he did in his first 15 games wasn’t sustainable. He could be doing more now, but I still like him a lot. I’m looking more big picture than month to month.
He’s a big guy who can skate and is only 23. Will you revisit your own and fan predictions that you published at the end of the season? — Bradon D. We didn’t do fan predictions this season but made my own 10 bold predictions.
I recently revisited those and made 10 new ones, and those aren’t going too well. I wrote that the Blues would win three straight games (nope), Saad would stay in St. Louis (nope) and Montgomery would lead the Blues back to the playoffs (still time, right?).
(Top photo of Brayden Schenn: Brett Holmes / Imagn Images).
