The St. Louis Blues had a poor blue line in 2022-23. On top of that, it is highly overpaid, as there is nearly $30 million invested in the current defense corps. That makes up for just under 35 percent of their salary cap.
This unit has been trending downward since the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the 2019-20 season. Prior to that, they won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and ranked sixth in goals against in 2019-20. The Blues can take steps toward reshaping their blue line this summer.
Blues Must Trade a Defenseman
The Blues most likely need to trade two defensemen this summer. The current core group of blueliners hasn’t worked out. The prime trade candidate is Colton Parayko. Despite a brutal 2022-23 season, he still has some trade value. There are reportedly several teams with interest in him.
Parayko has seven years left on his contract at an annual average value (AAV) of $6.5 million. He’s 30 years old and has been slowly declining since the 2020-21 season. However, he could benefit from a change of scenery. The Blues let Alex Pietrangelo walk with the expectation of Parayko becoming their top defenseman. That has not worked out whatsoever. They should do anything to get this contract off the books.
Other blueliners to trade include Marco Scandella, Torey Krug, and Nick Leddy. All three contracts will be difficult to move, but the Blues should try to get at least one of them off the books. Scandella has one season left on his deal with an AAV of $3.275 million. He appeared in just 20 games last season after undergoing hip surgery in September. Teams with salary cap flexibility like the Arizona Coyotes or Anaheim Ducks should be sought out by the Blues.
Krug has four seasons remaining with an AAV of $6.5 million. He has value as a power-play quarterback, however, he doesn’t offer much outside of that. He had 32 points in 63 games last season, and tallied a career-low 10 power play assists. Like Parayko, he could benefit from a change of scenery. But he’s 32 years old and his contract will be tough to move.
Related: Islanders Should Have Blues’ Torey Krug as a Trade Target
As for Leddy, I don’t think he gets traded. His numbers last season were bad, and he’s making way too much at $4 million per year for the next three seasons. I presume he has little to no value around the league, as he’s 32 years old and his best days are well behind him. The decision to re-sign Leddy last summer was a bad one from the start. If any team is desperate enough to trade for him, the Blues should run to accept the proposal.
Possible Free Agent Options
If the Blues are able to trade a defenseman or two, they should consider dipping into the free agency pool. Some options that make sense are Scott Mayfield, Ryan Graves, and Dmitry Orlov. Any of these three options could fit into the Blues’ top four. However, putting all the new pieces together would make for a complicated task for whoever they hire to run their defense.
Mayfield, Graves, and Orlov each have proven histories of steady defensive play. However, I think Orlov could be out of their price range. My favorite option is Graves. He had a terrific 2022-23 season with the New Jersey Devils where he appeared in 78 games, tallied 26 points, and had an outrageous plus/minus of plus-34. He would be a force with or without Parayko. Although, adding Graves would make a lot more sense if they kept Parayko and paired them together.
As for Mayfield, he’s a St. Louis native and comes from a defense-first system with the New York Islanders. He would be a cheaper replacement for Parayko. He stands at 6-foot-5 and has 428 regular season games under his belt. He played in 57 playoff games for the Islanders as well. Any of these three options makes sense for the Blues in various scenarios. It’s all going to depend on how Blues general manager (GM) Doug Armstrong approaches the offseason.
Let The Kids Play
It’s time for the Blues to let their younger blueliners loose. Let the kids play. The biggest appeal to trading Krug is to let Scott Perunovich take over his role on the power play, and the biggest appeal to trading Scandella is letting Matthew Kessel get a legitimate chance to play. The Blues don’t have an elite defenseman in their pipeline right now, but there are a lot of solid prospects that deserve a real chance in the NHL.
Both Kessel and Perunovich have shown flashes in their limited time with the Blues. Training camp will be a determining factor in what kind of chances these two will get. I think Perunovich will be on the third pair with or without Krug in the mix. As for Kessel, he’s going to have to battle no matter what. Other young defensemen like Michael Buchinger, Leo Lööf, and Anton Malmstrom will eventually be in the mix over the next few seasons. The bottom line is, the Blues need to get both tougher and younger on the back end.
This offseason, the Blues have a chance to reset their blue line and set themselves up to have it fixed for the 2024-25 season. Most of that will come down to offloading large contracts, finding a veteran blueliner, and letting the kids play. An underrated part of this offseason will be who GM Armstrong and head coach Craig Berube decide to hire and let run the defense. Mike Van Ryn did a fine job in that role, but a change was needed. This will be a fascinating part of the Blues’ offseason.