Colton Parayko will be out at least six weeks for the St. Louis Blues after the defenseman injured his left knee in a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
General manager Doug Armstrong said the 31-year-old will undergo a scope on the knee and be reevaluated in six weeks. The Blues conclude their regular season against the Utah Hockey Club on April 15.
Parayko, who played for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, has an NHL career-high 15 goals this season and is tied for his NHL career high in points with 35. Before the injury, he had missed just one game this season.
He leads all Blues players with an average ice time per game of 23:51, including 23:13 on Wednesday, and is first on the team with 140 blocked shots.
"We're not going to replace him," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "That being said, the feeling in our room right now, it just continues to build. Being able to win a game on the road in L.A. with the home record they have (19-3-4), how we did it ... all of those things, they're just continuing to build the trust, respect, care and love that is building within our group. So, if you would've asked me this a month ago, I'd say I don't know how we can recover. But we're going to push through, and it's going to be the next-man-up mentality that you have to have. We have a lot of confidence in our 'D' corps to handle and share the minutes that Parayko gave us."
Montgomery added that Nick Leddy will replace Parayko on the top defense pair alongside Cam Fowler.
"[Leddy and Fowler are] basically two high-end skaters, both can play the off side," he said. "They don't need to worry about getting back on their sides. That's the benefit, their skill level being able to move the puck and defend especially on their off side, I think, is going to make them a really good pairing for us."
Since being selected by St. Louis in the third round (No. 86) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Parayko has 294 points (76 goals, 218 assists) in 721 regular-season games. He also has 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 82 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including helping the Blues win the Cup for the first time in their history in 2019.
The Blues (30-27-6), who are 6-1-1 in their past eight games, are two points behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
"As a 'D' core in general, everyone is going to have to step up," Fowler said. "[Parayko] does everything for us. Offensively, he's had an amazing season. He plays against every team's top players, he penalty kills, blocks shots ... you pretty much name what you want out of a defenseman, he brings those things. Myself included, I'll have to pick up some of that slack. But all of us will have to collectively do it because one person is not going to be able to fill what he brings to our team."
NHL.com independent correspondent Lou Korac contributed to this report.
