Colton Parayko officially turns down trade

UPDATE: NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause for a potential trade to the Buffalo Sabres.

TSN insider Darren Dreger falsely reported yesterday that it was a done deal and that Parayko was heading to Buffalo. Now, as Friedman says, we wait to see where things go for Parayko and the Blues.

Read below for our earlier reports on this developing story, published by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin.

The Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues appeared to have finally agreed on a trade. On Tuesday, talks between the Sabres and Blues reportedly intensified around star forward Robert Thomas, but by early Wednesday morning, just two days before the trade deadline, everything had fallen apart.

However now, Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday that the Sabres have acquired Parayko from St. Louis. He believes that Radim Mrtka and a first round pick will be part of the return.

According to Frank Seravalli, " Parayko has not made a decision yet on whether to waive full no-trade clause. He’s been presented with the option. Odds are he says yes. Not there yet."

Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford clarified that “at this moment, to my knowledge, there’s been no official decision from Parayko about waiving his no-trade clause to Buffalo.” The Blues are in Seattle preparing to face the Kraken, and Parayko, out with back spasms, remains at the team hotel.

We will let you know as soon as possible if Parayko agrees and what is the official return.

Parayko, who is one of the the top right-shot defenseman trade candidates this trade season, would provide a major boost to the Sabres’ right side on the back end as they look to maintain their playoff spot during the final stretch of the season. He has a $6.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2029-30 season.

When the news first linked the Sabres to Thomas, information got out that Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen put together a massive offer in pursuit of the 26-year-old center. The package was believed to include former first overall pick Owen Power, former 14th overall pick Konsta Helenius, and former 8th overall pick Jack Quinn, the “equivalent” of multiple first-round picks.

Parayko was a key part of the Blues team that won the Stanley Cup back in 2019. He has appeared in 781 career games. He has 78 goals and 231 assists.