Parayko was THAT GUY like when he was playing his actual 2RD role behind Pietro, and was one of the most sought out defenders in the league.

He hit 30, numbers regressed in bigger roles that he clearly can’t handle (shocker), and Blues fans cant let go.

That guy is so far in deep in his own echo chamber it’s crazy.

Are you aware of who and what Nick Leddy is? Let’s then ask, what about Marco Scandella? How about Tyler Tucker? Maybe Niko Mikkola?

Then let’s add the defensive stalwarts of Brayden Schenn? Kevin Hayes maybe?

Quantifying defense individually is nonsense. All of the top players on most quantified defensive setups are generally on the same team or at least very close to their individual partners.

I’m not advocating the Leafs should take Parayko. I’m advocating that he’s a heck of a lot better than most people who lean on charts versus seeing individual impact give him credit for.

Will his contract be rough towards the last year or two of his deal? Sure. But in the meantime if we aren’t moving the rest of the group that is ensuring he has to be caved in there’s no reason to worry about it at this point in time. We are a 1 line team, with one good defenseman and two pretty solid goalies with a bunch of spare parts that don’t fit.

I’m not saying he’s Cale Makar, but not one of the best 60 defensemen in the league? You can probably make a list of 30-40 that I’d at least entertain.

The problem is knowing how DFD’s normally trend downwards into their 30’s. And Parayko has already started to show a steady decline. Saying his contract would be bad the last 2 years is being generous. His contract already looks bad.

Saying “oh but his teammates!” is a cop out. Good players still show out on bad teams. Especially mediocre ones. He’s been average across the board since Pietro left and clearly isn’t all that great in big minutes against top comp.

I’m not advocating for Toronto getting him either, or for the Blues to trade him at all. I’m just here stating that he’s not a player teams should move prime assets for.

Nobody is going to look good playing matchups on a bad team with a bad partner and only getting 35% o zone starts. It’s just not going to happen. The odds are extremely against him.

Yea, it embarrassing to use your brain instead of your heart when evaluating players.

All the numbers backup Parayko being a borderline NHLer.

You should listen to Carter Hutton on Leafs Morning Take.

He talks about playing in different markets and how in Toronto for example fans know their **** while in Nashville the in arena announcer has to say , " The Press have a 5 on 4 power play after a penalty from..." And how in many US market they cheer at random times in the game cause they just don't understand what is going on.

It does matter where you are. Not a given everyone from Toronto knows hockey but those from Toronto on a site like this likely grew up playing and many played high levels or worked in/around the game at some point.

I've lived in Toronto where there is a rink every 3/4 blocks, Vancouver where there is one in all of downtown and a few California cities where it's easier to find synthetic ice or roller rinks than ice rinks.

Hate on Toronto fans all you want but the main reason they are disliked is because they are smart enough to understand **** and you naturally don't like the guy who can point out all your flaws.

I’m good man. You guys can keep your models and player cards without actually viewing an impact. I’m sure that the multiple rinks per block and the experience helps in reading them.

Aren't you busy being an NHL exec? How big a brain does it take to be totally fake? We've been over this and over this, through several screen name changes, and you STILL have no worthwhile input about this player. Buh bye.

But no no no, we're supposed to take a circular subjective formula of another subjective formula based entirely on a subjective stat, with the player sight unseen! That's the true gospel! Only then can you understand that Timothy Liljegren is damn near an all-star while Parayko is one of the worst players in the league! It's unassailable!

I’m just confused how all of the hockey geniuses with rinks 2 blocks from their house don’t understand that every defensive opportunity is not 1 on 1. Measuring a defenseman used in an extreme shutdown role with partners who have never done it before and forwards who lack defensive responsibility for the large majority of the group versus the field is not similar. You can move the goal posts for every scenario but it’s still the same. Absolutely nobody in the NHL is put through the usage Parayko and Leddy have the last two seasons. Do I expect his underlying stats to be good? No, he’s on the far extreme of what the baseline is.

Well, we're supposed to defer to their inherently superior hockey knowledge, of course!

But yeah, the usage Parayko gets is downright sadistic. Now we send him out there half the time facing top lines along with the Blues 3rd and 4th lines. And he has been among the top few skaters on the ice in nearly every game this season.

But so what, right? Coz Dom, Mr. Subjective himself, who tooootally never thumbs the scale (wink wink), said snide stuff about a player he never watches. I'm not sure he could pick Parayko from a police line-up. But he's the authority. Coz Toronto osmosis.

AND if you do not defer to these blind authorities, you are a Toronto "hater" then. Because fake victimhood is a debate TKO. Or something.

All this just to NOT admit you were wrong about RAPM charts and how Parayko is a painfully mid player.

You wear your pride on your sleeve man, time to put it in your pocket and be an adult.

We’ve seen the “impact” he’s had ever since Pietro left gang. It’s mid mid mid.

The St. Louis way. Ignore facts and data and insult people.

No wonder people love you so much. When former players trash your city and your own players are crying cause of how you treat them it isn't a great look.

But again happy to ignore all that and have you invent whatever BS you need to personally insult me and question me so that you can sleep better tonight. Consider it my Christmas Gift to you.

Merry Christmas 🎄

Muh huh. When former players trash my city... which is why so many of them continue living in STL after they're done playing. Yeah, you give the projector a rest and have a happy NHL exec Christmas.