Confirmed with Link: Parayko signs 5 year deal [5.5 AAV]

[Majorityof1]

Lol

I said we are never going to hear that he was "open to 6 years at a good AAV", and we didn't hear that. So not sure what the lol is for. He obviously preferred 5 years. That was never a question. The question is how much he preferred 5 years. How much that extra year would have cost, and what leverage Armstrong brought to bear to get that 5th year. That is what we are never going to hear. Saying a player preferred to hit UFA as soon as possible isn't news.

 

[Dbrownss]

I said we are never going to hear that he was "open to 6 years at a good AAV", and we didn't hear that. So not sure what the lol is for. He obviously preferred 5 years. That was never a question. The question is how much he preferred 5 years. How much that extra year would have cost, and what leverage Armstrong brought to bear to get that 5th year. That is what we are never going to hear. Saying a player preferred to hit UFA as soon as possible isn't news.

Oh ffs he didnt want longer then 5yrs on this contract. You inplied Army would rather pinch pennies on the RFAs to sign overpaid 3rd liners.

Sure you can make the argument that maybe we could have gotten 6+yrs but the cost was astronomical.


My whole point has been Armstrong cant force a player to take a long(er) term deal. Best he could get was 5yrs and thats what he did. So like i said, not much reason to complain unless you just want to be "that guy". Your a very intelligent and informative poster, there's no need to always be the "red team".

 

[Majorityof1]

Oh ffs he didnt want longer then 5yrs on this contract. You inplied Army would rather pinch pennies on the RFAs to sign overpaid 3rd liners.

Sure you can make the argument that maybe we could have gotten 6+yrs but the cost was astronomical.


My whole point has been Armstrong cant force a player to take a long(er) term deal. Best he could get was 5yrs and thats what he did. So like i said, not much reason to complain unless you just want to be "that guy". Your a very intelligent and informative poster, there's no need to always be the "red team".

I said previously that even if Parayko absolutely would not take 6 years for less than $10M or whatever, it still sucks. We are not a free agency hot spot. It was super weird the off-season when the top 2 centers available both WANTED to be here (Stastny and Spezza). That doesn't happen often. So when we get a good young player, it would be nice to keep them as long as possible. We did it with Petro and Tarasenko, which is awesome, as they are our best players. But we couldn't do it with Parayko and Schwartz, and that sucks. Whether its because of cap, the player's wishes, Armstrong, a change in the way all RFAs think, better player agents, the looming potential lock-out, the alignment of the stars, or some combination thereof, I don't care. I just know it sucks. I wish we had guys like Parayko and Schwartz locked up for longer.

 

[Dbrownss]

I said previously that even if Parayko absolutely would not take 6 years for less than $10M or whatever, it still sucks. We are not a free agency hot spot. It was super weird the off-season when the top 2 centers available both WANTED to be here (Stastny and Spezza). That doesn't happen often. So when we get a good young player, it would be nice to keep them as long as possible. We did it with Petro and Tarasenko, which is awesome, as they are our best players. But we couldn't do it with Parayko and Schwartz, and that sucks. Whether its because of cap, the player's wishes, Armstrong, a change in the way all RFAs think, better player agents, the looming potential lock-out, the alignment of the stars, or some combination thereof, I don't care. I just know it sucks. I wish we had guys like Parayko and Schwartz locked up for longer.

Man thats fine, and I agree with you. It was the idea that Army rather have more room for Berglunds then long term Parayko when in this cade, it just seems Parayko wanted 5yrs. Doesnt mean 55 is leaving in 5yrs, hes just setting himself up for another big payday. If he wanted out, he would have went through Arb and left asap.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I say we waive him and try to send him to the AHL as punishment for not taking that extra year.

 

[Brian39]

Honestly, I think people are reading too much into it. Arbitration was a timer on the negotiations, they had agreed the cost for 5 years and couldn't agree the price for the 6th year when the timer had expired. So we ended up with the 5 year deal. If he was flat out refusing longer than 5 years, that would be concerning unless his agents think there is going to be a sweeping change in the next CBA.

Frankly, even that wouldn't concern me until/unless I heard it was because he just didn't want to be in St. Louis. If he was looking for a way out of the city ASAP, he wouldn't have signed a 5 year deal. Players (and their agents) absolutely should be trying to put themselves in position to make as much as possible. So long as he is willing to listen to the Blues offers in good faith and willing to sign here if we make the best offer, I have no problem with a player insisting he get that chance at 29 instead of 30. The owners treat this sport like a business so it is only fair to expect that out of players.

With all that said, I'm still not worried about losing him after this contract. We will be in position to offer an 8th year at big money, which will make it much tougher for other teams to make a better bid. For all the talk about Edmonton, they don't worry me a ton. Their window has already opened and should be open for the foreseeable future. They will be spending heavily the next 5 years, which means they are going to tie themselves to a number of contracts between now and then. They currently have $22.6 mil tied up in 3 players for 22/23 and 3 of their D become UFAs the year before Parayko. It will be very, very tough for them to structure their cap to remain a contender in the 2 years leading up to this summer while still having the type of cap space needed to match our (presumptively) 8 year offer. Edmonton may want Parayko badly, but they aren't going to waste a year or 2 of McDavid's prime shuffling the deck for him. I'm sure they'll create room to make a good offer, but I doubt it will be enough to make him 'an offer he can't refuse'.

If Parayko is willing to take way less from Edmonton than us, then I doubt there was anything we could have done on this contract (absent grossly overpaying for an extra year or two) to stop that. I just don't get that impression from Parayko. He strikes me as a player looking to maximize earnings via smart negotiating.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Yeah, I would've preferred 6+ years but I can certainly understand Colt not wanting to go more than 5. 5 is still a pretty long commitment. And it allows him the opportunity to cash out huge in 5 years if he keeps progressing while also guaranteeing him $27.5M in the event of a catastrophic injury. Colt played it smart and it's likely how I would've played it - a good balance of risk/reward and safety.

 

[Ranksu]

Btw what is that 2020-21 season 3.35mill.$? Didn't other this off-season new contract get too odd numbers in 2020-2021 season? Lock out coming up or what that means?

 

[Ranksu]

 

[Splatter]

 

[TruBlu]

The dip at the 4th year is beneficial to both sides. Good contract.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

The dip at the 4th year is beneficial to both sides. Good contract.

People don't give enough attention to those details. Paying a player more of his money early in the contract = more money for the player (if wisely invested).

 

[carter333167]

I dunno.....I think he likes it in STL. Check out the hat.

 

[TruBlu]

I dunno.....I think he likes it in STL. Check out the hat.

I said it before. I think he's probably the closest we have to a guy retiring a blue. He's setting himself up for a big money contract, but that doesn't mean it isn't here. He has done things completely different from Shatty.

 

[BlueDream]

Way too early to even begin talking about that. Wearing a hat doesnt mean anything, and he's gonna retire here? Let's pump the breaks.

Most players don't retire with one team. See: Patrick Marleau. It's just not a big deal.

 

[TheDizee]

I said it before. I think he's probably the closest we have to a guy retiring a blue. He's setting himself up for a big money contract, but that doesn't mean it isn't here. He has done things completely different from Shatty.

cause he isnt a me-first player. easy to see that. he will play for team canada in the next big tourny they have nhl players in.

 

[phxblue]

I said it before. I think he's probably the closest we have to a guy retiring a blue. He's setting himself up for a big money contract, but that doesn't mean it isn't here. He has done things completely different from Shatty.

Tarasenko is above him in that regard for me. Love Parayko's ability and attitude and personality though. We are very lucky to have the both of them.

Yep, kind of funny how the anti-Shatty replaced Shatty.

BTW f Shatty. I would have much rather had Jonathan Drouin than Robert Thomas and Zach Sanford. But oh well, he's gone. We are better off for it.

 

[Majorityof1]

So a player refuses to sign in season, files for salary arbitration, pushes a deal to the last minute and then signs for the absolute least amount of UFA years the team would agree to, at a cap hit higher than any of his comparables on short term....but he's totally a team player and not at all like Shattenkirk?

Where do you people get this stuff? I am not saying Parayko is a selfish jerk. I have no indication one way or another. But what evidence do you have that he is some paragon of selflessness?

Like phxblue said, Tarasenko is who you should be praising for his selflessness more than Parayko. Took a max 8-year deal at a team-friendly cap hit (could have gotten much more on the open market). Plus, he always without fail defers praise to his teammates. That is selflessness. Parayko is trying to set himself up for the best payday possible for Parayko. Whether that's with us or not, we shall see. And there is nothing wrong with it, as I have argued re: Sobotka that players need to look out for themselves. However, we shouldn't praise him for being a saint off the ice just because we like him on the ice. Nor say he is the opposite of Shattenkirk, when he is so far doing exactly what Shatty did.

 

[Brian39]

So a player refuses to sign in season, files for salary arbitration, pushes a deal to the last minute and then signs for the absolute least amount of UFA years the team would agree to, at a cap hit higher than any of his comparables on short term....but he's totally a team player and not at all like Shattenkirk?

Where do you people get this stuff? I am not saying Parayko is a selfish jerk. I have no indication one way or another. But what evidence do you have that he is some paragon of selflessness?

Like phxblue said, Tarasenko is who you should be praising for his selflessness more than Parayko. Took a max 8-year deal at a team-friendly cap hit (could have gotten much more on the open market). Plus, he always without fail defers praise to his teammates. That is selflessness. Parayko is trying to set himself up for the best payday possible for Parayko. Whether that's with us or not, we shall see. And there is nothing wrong with it, as I have argued re: Sobotka that players need to look out for themselves. However, we shouldn't praise him for being a saint off the ice just because we like him on the ice. Nor say he is the opposite of Shattenkirk, when he is so far doing exactly what Shatty did.

Couldn't agree more.

Like you, I have no problem with anything he has done this offseason. I also had no problem with anything Shatty did. This is a business and every organization and fanbase treats it that way. There's no reason players shouldn't as well. And that is exactly what Parayko and Shatty both did. Other than the fact Shatty is no longer one of 'us', I have no idea how anyone could differentiate between Shatty and Parayko's business decisions.

 

[Ranksu]

Tarasenko is above him in that regard for me. Love Parayko's ability and attitude and personality though. We are very lucky to have the both of them.

Yep, kind of funny how the anti-Shatty replaced Shatty.

BTW f Shatty. I would have much rather had Jonathan Drouin than Robert Thomas and Zach Sanford. But oh well, he's gone. We are better off for it.

Replace Drouin for Berglund. Jeeesus Christ.

We would be stacked. If if if...

 

[Itsnotatrap]

Couldn't agree more.

Like you, I have no problem with anything he has done this offseason. I also had no problem with anything Shatty did. This is a business and every organization and fanbase treats it that way. There's no reason players shouldn't as well. And that is exactly what Parayko and Shatty both did. Other than the fact Shatty is no longer one of 'us', I have no idea how anyone could differentiate between Shatty and Parayko's business decisions.

Drouin was contingent upon Shatty taking 6x6 (if I recall). If he contract terms change, the deal for us weakens or ends. So Drouin and Hall are almost fantasy land, even if they actually happened, because he wasn't taking the offers it was all contingent on.

He's a pretty poor example to use as comparison to my mind, in some ways, because he left term if not dollars at the table to join the team he wanted to play for. He's the exception to the rule, in that it wasn't 100% business in taking the most lucrative offer. He played business to get the Rangers best offer.

 

[TruBlu]

Drouin was contingent upon Shatty taking 6x6 (if I recall). If he contract terms change, the deal for us weakens or ends. So Drouin and Hall are almost fantasy land, even if they actually happened, because he wasn't taking the offers it was all contingent on.

He's a pretty poor example to use as comparison to my mind, in some ways, because he left term if not dollars at the table to join the team he wanted to play for. He's the exception to the rule, in that it wasn't 100% business in taking the most lucrative offer. He played business to get the Rangers best offer.

Yep. This is why Parayko is not in the same boat as Shatty. Now that the entire situation has played out, we can see why a lot of those prospective deals didn't happen. Shatty was never going to stay here without massive overpayment. I'm not faulting him for doing what he feels is best for him, but situations like these are why you can't just complain that the GM did a poor job. You can't make someone sign a contract if their heart is set on going elsewhere.

 

[EXTRAS]

How can parayko be on the ice as much as he is and only have 4 assists through 40 games? I thought he had talent. An orange street cone could get lucky and touch the puck 4 times before it goes in.

What's wrong w this guy.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

How can parayko be on the ice as much as he is and only have 4 assists through 40 games? I thought he had talent. An orange street cone could get lucky and touch the puck 4 times before it goes in.

What's wrong w this guy.

Lol

 

[TK 421]

How can parayko be on the ice as much as he is and only have 4 assists through 40 games? I thought he had talent. An orange street cone could get lucky and touch the puck 4 times before it goes in.

What's wrong w this guy.

Have a look at the Blues goal totals and where that ranks amongst the 31 teams. The answer to your question should become evident immediately but in case it doesn't I'll just spell it out. THE BLUES AREN'T SCORING MANY GOALS. Parayko himself has 8 so far halfway through the season I believe which means he'll be establishing a nice new career high despite overall lower point totals possibly.

He needs 23 points to match his career high of 35 and the Blues seem to be picking up steam here now with Binnington getting starts. 23 in 42 doesn't seem like a monumental task to me if that trend continues. But if you've got a guy like Schwartz stuck on 3 goals and your top goalscorer in Tarasenko isn't scoring like he normally does either then it really isn't all that surprising that a defender has less production than previous seasons. That's why singling Parayko out here is lol worthy. You could ask this same question of every single player on the roster not named O'Reilly or Perron.