Teams are working on finalizing deals ahead of tomorrow's NHL trade deadline. Still, players can throw a wrench in teams' plans by excising clauses in their contracts. One player with such a clause is Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues. The Blues and Buffalo Sabres had the framework in place to trade Parayko to Buffalo.
Now that trade has fallen through, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
“Officially, Colton Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause to Buffalo — as is his contractual right. We will see where we go from here,” Friedman posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Parayko was in attendance at last night's Blues game against the Seattle Kraken. He has missed the last three games as trade rumors continue to swirl around him. The blueliner has spent his entire career with the franchise after being drafted with the 86th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. He broke into the NHL with the Blues in the 2015-16 campaign, playing 781 games with the club.
Parayko is in the fourth year of an eight-year deal he signed in 2021, and started in the 2022-23 campaign. It has a full no-trade clause, meaning the Blues defenseman has to approve any trade to a new team. The blueliner declining the trade to the Sabres does not mean he will not be moved, as noted by NHL Network Analyst Brian Lawton prior to Parayko declining to waive his no-trade clause.
“With a 15-team no-trade list and reports that a Colton Parayko deal between the (St. Louis Blues) and (Buffalo Sabres) is agreed to—pending the player’s approval—you have to imagine several other clubs are now jumping into the mix,” Lawton posted on X. “This will either be wrapped up quickly … or things are about to get wild in a hurry. Moving families mid-season is a big decision for players. With the massive uptick in NMCs and no-trade clauses, get used to this scenario as rule changes continue to reshape the trade landscape.”
With just 26 hours until the NHL Trade Deadline, teams will need to move quickly and get Parayko's approval if he is going to be moved.
For all of the NHL Trade Deadline reporting ahead of the Friday 3 p.m. ET deadline, stick with ClutchPoints as stories break and develop.
