Blues sign Colton Parayko to eight-year contract extension

The Blues are keeping their giant in St. Louis.

Six-foot-six defenseman Colton Parayko inked an eight-year, $52-million contract extension ($6.5-million AAV) that starts in the 2022-23 season, the team announced Wednesday.

Parayko, 28, was set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career next summer, but instead of testing the waters, he’s sticking with the perennially-interesting Blues.

Seemingly always making the playoffs — the team has only missed nine postseasons in its 54-year existence — St. Louis is going to stay competitive for quite a bit longer with one of its anchors on the blue line locked up for so long.

Since being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Blues, Parayko has steadily risen to prominence league-wide. His stock certainly rose when he was able to play a significant role on the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team that broke the uncomfortable drought for the Blues, and he hopes he will get many more chances to relive that experience.

"I can't wait to wear the Blue Note for another nine years,” Parayko said on Wednesday. “St. Louis has been my home now for six seasons, and this is where I want to be... Winning here in 2019 was special, and I want the chance to stay here and do that again."

With Parayko locked up, the Blues will now have their top blueliners set in stone for the next little while with both Justin Faulk and Torey Krug signed through the 2026-27 season.

In Parayko’s six seasons, he’s appeared in 418 games, scoring 41 goals and 171 points. That prior production was enough to earn him the “A” on his chest as one of the team’s alternate captains last year.

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