Blues’ Scott Perunovich Can Become a Top Pairing Defenseman

A huge part of the defense’s success this season has been the re-emergence of Torey Krug and Colton Parayko. This season, both players have stepped up in all areas of the ice. Torey Krug has eight points in 14 games on the season and has improved from a minus-26 last season to a plus-8 this campaign. As for Parayko, he has shown the ability to start the transition game with his passing as well as boxing out attackers in the defensive zone.

Parayko’s consistency has been something Blues fans have been waiting for since former captain Alex Pietrangelo departed for the Vegas Golden Knights. Parayko was seen as the next great top-pairing defenseman for the Blues, however, the transition did not go as planned right away. Parayko struggled with consistently playing a 200-foot game the last few seasons. This was especially true when it came to moving the puck in transition and maintaining mobility in front of the net, oftentimes blocking goaltender Jordan Binnington from making saves in the crease. Parayko’s improvements in these facets of the game have created stability within the Blues defensive group.

Even though the defensive group is playing at a higher level than it has in previous seasons, one question is still constantly circling in the minds of Blues fans: Who is the best long-term option to play alongside Parayko?

Head Coach Craig Berube has tried many players on the top line with Parayko, and none have panned out. Marco Scandella is nearing the end of his career, and his role is more of a bottom-pairing player. The Nick Leddy trade has been a roller coaster, with Leddy struggling to find his defensive game. The team also traded away Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers in the Vladimir Tarasenko deal last trade deadline. One name that the Blues have seen glimpses of in the NHL is 2018 second-round draft pick Scott Perunovich, and the Blues should consider making the commitment to Perunovich as a long-term option on the top line.

Perunovich’s Uphill Battle

Perunovich has had a rough start to his NHL career since he came into the league. He has shown the ability to be an offensive weapon, especially on the power play, with his puck movement ability and high-level hockey IQ. However, the best kind of ability anyone in this league can have is availability, and Perunovich has been anything but available during his NHL tenure so far.

Perunovich has spent a lot of time on the injured reserve over the last couple of seasons. In 2021, he suffered a torn labrum that caused him to miss the entire season. The injury to his shoulder stunted his development. Preparing for a game the following season, Perunovich suffered yet another injury. It was later announced by the team that he would need surgery on his wrist and that he would be out for eight weeks. But he wouldn’t set foot on the ice until the 2022 playoffs.

“Just thinking about the past few years- all I’ve been doing is rehabbing, and I was so looking forward to a fresh year,” he says. “It’s maybe one of the worst times I’ve ever felt about myself. I wasn’t full-blown bawling, but I could’ve been. I think I was holding it in.” (from ‘How Blues’ support and an MMA legend’s book, helped Scott Perunovich’s shoulder recovery,’ The Athletic, 5/12/23)

Finally healthy, Perunovich came into the season with a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove. Not just to his coaches and teammates but to himself as well.

Perunovich: By the Numbers

Of the team’s 14 games this season, Perunovich has played in five. He made his debut on Oct. 26 against the Calgary Flames. Since he made his season debut, Perunovich has played well and impressed on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice.

Since Perunovich debuted, the Blues are 4-1, with the only loss coming against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 27, 5-0. But, despite getting blown out, Perunovich played 13 minutes and finished the game with an even rating. Being on the wrong side of a blowout is never a good feeling, but the fact that Perunovich was not on the ice for any of the goals allowed that game shows to his improvement on the defensive end.

When Perunovich is on the ice this season, the Blues have the puck in the offensive zone of 75 percent of the time. As for the dZ%, the Blues are only in the defensive zone 25 percent of the time when Perunovich is on the ice. The sample size is small this early on in the season. However, the early returns of having No. 48 on the ice are positive ones.

Battling for Minutes

Perunovich enters the season as a pending restricted free agent, meaning the Blues will have the opportunity to re-sign him in the off-season if he impresses during his ice time this year. However, with the amount of different defensive combinations that Coach Berube likes to run, Perunovich needs to capitalize on the ice time while he has it if he wants to remain a member of the Blues long-term.

After this season, it is seemingly more and more likely that Scandella and Robert Bortuzzo will not be re-signed. With the likes of prospects Tyler Tucker, Theo Lindstein, Hunter Skinner, and Leo Loof in the system, the declining performance and age make them both expendable. If the Blues decide not to bring Scandella and Bortuzzo back, that leaves Krug and Leddy on the left-side, creating a full-time open spot on the left side of the defensive pairings.

To start the season, Perunovich was a healthy scratch as he failed to beat out Tucker for playing time. Tucker is a bigger defenseman, which is the type of player that fits Berube’s style of play. But, with Scandella and Tucker having similar physical styles, when it was Perunovich’s time to enter the lineup, he fit right in as a complimentary piece and played well. However, with Scandella being a pending unrestricted free agent, Berube could look to replace him with Tucker on the left side as opposed to Perunovich due to his more physical style of play.

With Perunovich being a left-handed defenseman like Tucker, the Blues could look to part ways with him and sign a right-handed defenseman to play alongside Tucker on the third pairing. It would be easier for Berube to pull the trigger on Tucker and let Perunovich walk to keep his team balanced with offensive defensemen and defensive-minded defensemen. With height and physicality not on Perunovich’s side, he will have to impress in other areas of the game to make sure he keeps his spot in the starting lineup moving forward.

How Can Perunovich Earn a Spot with the Blues?

Berube is known for liking 200-foot players. Players like Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk, Sammy Blais, and Pavel Buchnevich are the epitome of what Berube looks for in his players. If Perunovich wants ice time, he needs to make sure that he’s playing hard in all areas of the ice. He needs to improve his ability to play inside the dots, keep the opposition from back-door opportunities, and continue to be present in the back-check and forecheck.

Next, it’s important for Perunovich to offer something in the offensive zone that other defensemen don’t. He has done a great job of creating opportunities for his teammates thus far into the season. But make no mistake, there is a lot that he needs to improve upon, including his ability to push the puck to his teammates efficiently.

As an offensive defenseman, he needs to thrive in carrying the puck up the ice and cycling the puck in the offensive zone. In the past, we have seen Perunovich run the Blues’ power play at a high level, but he hasn’t seemed to be on the same page as his power play linemates. It’s important for him to build chemistry with his teammates and understand where certain players are comfortable on the ice. We have seen this on numerous occasions, with Krug making great plays for his fellow linemate Jordan Kyrou this season. Krug and Kyrou have built chemistry over the last couple of seasons, and Krug knows exactly where Kyrou is going to be on breakouts. Perunovich needs to develop that sixth sense as well.

Secondly, he needs to do a better job at shot creation. He does a good job at finding the smart pass in the zone, but he doesn’t seem to be consistent enough at finding shooting lanes from the blue line. Once again, his strength is his offense, and he needs to be able to execute as the point man on the power play. A big key to execution on the power play is being a threat to shoot from the blue line.

Will Perunovich Be Here Next Season?

If Perunovich wants to stick around past this season, it will take a lot of hard work on his part. He has a lot of potential that is untapped in his game. He plays smart and understands the game of hockey exceptionally well. He also has a lot of raw skill with the puck on his tape. If he can learn how to adapt to certain situations in both the offensive and defensive zones and continue to build rapport with his teammates while he gets more ice time, he will be a focal point for the team moving forward. If he doesn’t put show some positive progression, this could be the last season we see Perunovich with the Blues.