The Athletic Rates the Blues Payroll 29th in Efficiency

At least the Blackhawks are at 32!

[Link](https://theathletic.com/4707263/2023/07/31/nhl-contract-efficiency-rankings-2023/) (paywall)

“Last year the Blues ranked very poorly despite coming off a successful season. The following year was a confirmation as to why. Defensively the team looked like they could be vulnerable and that starts with an overpaid top four featuring some of the worst contracts in the league.

Colton Parayko isn’t worth $1.4 million today, but if you’ve been following the trajectory of Marc-Edouard Vlasic in his 30s, it’s not difficult at all to picture him getting there in a contract that goes until he’s 37. That’s the worst of the bunch, but there’s also a [Torey Krug](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/torey-krug-Onv9Ni7SBYe2MCri/) deal that hasn’t aged well, a [Nick Leddy](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/nick-leddy-wjdezSN1QJcOp8Ya/) deal that was predictably doomed from the start, and a [Justin Faulk](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/justin-faulk-9VpeJwUcDIGGA03K/) deal that will become hard to justify as he goes further into his 30s. All four are between the ages of 30 and 32, with three of them being paid like top-pair defensemen. It’s difficult to believe any of them are at that level and it’s only going to get worse…”

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