Colton Parayko

Parayko regressed in 2022-23. He ended the campaign with 27 points, a minus-19 rating, 133 shots on goal, 115 hits and 144 blocked shots in 79 contests. He's never scored more than 35 points in his career, but it's a mark he's reached three times. That level of play is enough to make him of interest in fantasy, and his high-end physical play helps the cause even if his offense is now a bit off from his peak. Parayko is locked in as a top-four blueliner for St. Louis, so there's enough stability in his role to justify him being a depth defender in fantasy. However, if the team struggles defensively again, fantasy managers can likely pivot from Parayko, especially if he's not bucking the trend.

Parayko's offensive numbers rebounded a season ago. He tied his career high with 35 points (in 80 games), matching his total from both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. That's the good news. The bad news is that it probably isn't sustainable. Parayko averaged more than 23 minutes per game (23:33) for the second time in three years, but his power-play role has dried up completely, as he saw just 17 seconds per game with the man advantage last year, his lowest mark to date. You can do better on draft day.

Parayko suffered a back injury in mid-February and ended up missing the better part of two months. The end result was Parayko totaling just two goals, 10 points and 60 shots in 32 games, all being the lowest marks of his career. Parayko got a bunch of power-play time early in his career but has since developed into a stay-at-home defensive rearguard. He posted no fewer than 28 points in each of his first five NHL seasons, but he might not reach those totals if he continues to see just 0:25 of ice time with the man advantage per night. Parayko is going to be overdrafted in fantasy leagues this fall due to his reputation and it's for the best. Let another virtual manager take the plunge.

Parayko had another strong season in 2019-20, matching his 2018-19 scoring totals (10 goals, 18 assists) in 16 fewer games while averaging a whopping 23:00 of ice time per contest. The towering 6-foot-6 blueliner should continue to produce at a double-digit goal, 30-plus point pace while chipping in a few power-play tallies and averaging around 2.5 shots per game in 2020-21. He'll also offer solid hit and block totals -- he had 87 and 106 respectively in 64 games last campaign -- making Parayko a solid all-around fantasy asset worthy of a mid-round pick in this year's drafts.

Although Parayko slipped under the 30-point threshold for the first time of his career with 10 goals and 28 points in 80 games, he turned it up a notch in the playoffs. Parayko averaged 25:07 of ice time throughout the postseason -- the second highest mark on the team -- while compiling 12 points over 26 games. The 6-foot-6 blueliner has the wingspan to cover large chunks of ice on the power play, and his booming shot keeps him on the power play consistently. St. Louis' blue line will likely remain in tact for the 2019-20 season, and Parayko's playoff performance signals he has the potential to eclipse the 40-point mark for the first time.

Parayko entered the NHL at 22 years old after just 17 games in the AHL. "The Kid" went on to post at least 24 assists in each of his first three seasons with the big club -- the first Blue ever to accomplish that feat. It's not often a player can fire up his NHL career in that manner, so it's tough not to be optimistic about Parayko's ceiling. Now 25 years old, he boasts a 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame and a rocketing slap shot that the Blues hope he'll leverage into becoming a goal-scoring threat and power-play asset. He was more comfortable loading up his cannon last season as well, shooting 212 times. It won't be long before Parayko starts tickling the twine more, which would certainly vault him into the 50-point territory -- he had 35 points in 82 games last season. Parayko is a top sleeper candidate for fantasy owners who think he could blossom this campaign with a fiery new offense in front of him.

A lightly regarded prospect before he came to hockey’s highest level, Parayko came out firing in his first two NHL seasons, posting 33 and then 35 points, which earned him a five-year deal extension with the Blues this past offseason. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound blueliner unleashes rockets from the blue line, which have earned him a role on the power play -- he cracked double-digit points with the man advantage last season, mostly in a second-unit role. He gets it done on both ends of the ice, too, as he’s posted a combined plus-35 rating in his two campaigns. Now 24 years old, Parayko will have a more important role in the defensive rotation as well as on the power play now that Kevin Shattenkirk has left St. Louis. This should be the year that Parayko breaks the 40-point barrier and fires more than 200 shots on goal, which would make him a steady starter in nearly any fantasy format.

Parayko quite literally blasted his way onto the Blues lineup last season – his shot is heavy and hard, and comes at goalies at more than 100 mph. He got off to a lightning-fast start to 2015-16, notching 10 points in his first 14 games and breaking the glass behind the Vancouver net in early-October. Hey – maybe that's why Ryan Miller played scared the whole season. Parayko finished with nine goals and 33 points in 78 games, and was the Blues' most reliable possession defender in both shot generation and suppression categories... as a rookie! That's pretty darn impressive for a pick out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, who was passed over by all 30 teams the first year he was draft eligible. Parayko's surprisingly nimble on his skates for a guy who stands 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, and he has all of the attributes of a star on the rise. He may surpass Alex Pietrangelo's production this year and could soon be among the top-10 two-way studs in the entire league. Seriously.