The St. Louis Blues came to terms with 24-year-old defenseman Colton Parayko on a five-year, $27.5 million deal, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal comes out to an average annual cap hit of $5.5 million.
Blues re-sign Colton Parayko to 5-year, $27.5 million extension
The young blueliner is signed until the 2021-22 season.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Parayko was in the last year of his entry-level deal, so this new five-year contract will start next season and run until the 2021-22 when the young defenseman will be 29 years old.
In 81 games played last season, Parayko had 35 points as one of the Blues’ premiere defensemen. He projects to be a member of the St. Louis defensive core for years to come, and his skill set is well liked by many. In his rookie season in 2015-16, Parayko put up 33 points in 79 games.
The Blues and Parayko were headed to arbitration Thursday morning, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as the two sides were stuck on the financials. Reportedly, the Blues submitted two separate two-year deals of $3.4 million and $3.6 million each and Parayko countered with $4.85 million for one year. The deal struck Thursday is $650,000 more than Parayko’s ask, meaning the Blues likely settled for a higher AAV to get the young defenseman locked into a longer deal.
After the deal, the Blues have a projected $3.08 million in cap space to deal with for the 2017-18 season with just a few RFAs remaining to sign, according to Cap Friendly.
For more coverage on the Parayko signing, check out our St. Louis Blues blog at St. Louis Game Time.
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