Parayko remains Blues top priority

HAZELWOOD, Mo. - Free agency opened Saturday with Blues defenseman Colton Parayko still a restricted free agent, but Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said he's not concerned.
"Colton is going to be a Blue next year," Armstrong said in an exclusive interview for stlouisblues.com. "We're not afraid of any offer sheets because we will certainly match anything out there. We've left ourselves enough space. We hope to get something moving on that real quickly."

Shortly after free agency opened on Saturday, the
Blues signed unrestricted free agents Chris Thorburn and Beau Bennett
. The club also signed restricted free agent Oskar Sundqvist, who they acquired along with a first-round pick at the 2017 NHL Draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Armstrong said he spoke to several of the veteran free agents available, but he doesn't expect to be very busy in the free agent market.
"We did talk to some of the guys that were 35 or older about coming in on one-year deals that we could put bonuses into, but we want to make sure we're not doing anything to hamper our negotiations with Colton Parayko," Armstrong said. "(That's) our priority."
Parayko has emerged as one of the Blues' most dependable defensemen in just two seasons in the NHL. The 24-year-old has 13 goals, 55 assists (68 points) and a plus-35 rating in two seasons. In the playoffs, Parayko has posted 12 points (four goals, eight assists) and a plus-7 rating in 31 postseason contests.
"Colton is our guy," Armstrong said. "And he's really the one we want to focus on."