I know the Blues have been one of the better defensive teams in the league in recent years, but let's not let that reputation cloud us to what their backend is now, or ever since Jay Bouwmeester retired for that matter. The team doesn't even have a bonafied no. 1 defender anymore since Pietrangelo left. Krug and Faulk are good offensive defenseman, but they aren't elite. Back issues seem to be holding Parayko back from being the marquis shutdown defender he once was. After that it's just third pair defensmen in Nick Leddy, Niko Mikkola, Marco Scandella, Robert Bortuzzo, and Scott Perunovich. Perunovich potentially has top 4 upside but one would have to look for indications of him being a late bloomer, Scandella is barely NHL caliber anymore for whatever reason, and Bortuzzo and Mikkola are what they're always going to be. I suppose I don't need to get anybody started on what an unforced error it was bringing back Leddy at way above market value, despite being a good fit on the team.

I love how Canucks athletic writer Thomas Drance described the Blue's back end situation as being a lightning storm on the horizon, referring specifically to the long-term commitments to the trio of Krug, Faulk, and Parayko. I might argue that the storm has already arrived.

Everything you said is true. We all assumed Parayko would be the no.1 when Pietrangelo left but his play has been sub-par ever since. I suspect it is his back although they say it's 100% - he isn't as mobile and no where near as confident with the puck as he used to be, and it doesn't help that they give him a lousy partner and expect him to shutdown the best players in the world. It has actually been Faulk who is the closest to playing like a no.1, which has been a pleasant surprise, but not enough to alleviate concerns with the group. I'm a little more optimistic than you sound though - I think they can get a couple more decent years from the D group, but imagining these guys trying to compete in 2027 is crazy. Maybe LTIR will save them some money, but the system is void of any top prospects and I doubt they'll be amassing draft picks to re-stock.

Maybe they don't go out of their way to amass draft picks, but at least Army seems relatively insistent about holding on to his 1st rounders. Blues have some projected middle of the lineup guys coming up in Neighbours, Bolduc, and Snuggerud. Team is also fortunate that Justin Faulk managed to turn things around after a down year or two to start after being traded from Carolina.

Chief continues to praise Parayko?? What am I missing? I see him constantly skating out of position, looking lost, backing into his zone never aggressively closing space, poor decision making, and weak for his size. He can skate the puck out of the Dzone thats about it. Is this all to save face for Army's horrible contract? He's been declining rapidly for 3yrs now.