The St. Louis Blues had a trade in place that would have sent longtime defenseman Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres earlier this week. Not only did Parayko veto that potential move, he will not waive his no-movement clause at all ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, which is now mere hours away, TSN's Pierre LeBrun said on Friday's TradeCentre broadcast.
While there was some speculation that the hulking blue liner could approve a trade to a team and city he would be more interested in, that no longer seems to be the case.
It certainly puts Parayko and management in a bit of an awkward scenario, especially as the 32-year-old has four years left on his current contract at a $6.5 million price tag.
The potential return to the Blues from the Sabres was enticing, reportedly consisting of top prospect Radim Mrtka — who was selected ninth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft — along with a first-round pick.
Parayko is in the midst of a down season offensively; after putting up career highs in goals and points with 16 and 36 in 2024-25, respectively, he's managed just a goal and 13 assists over 58 contests this seasons.
He is still a responsible defensive player, logging over 22 minutes of ice time per night and looking solid on a stacked Team Canada roster at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan last month.
Parayko has spent his entire career in Missouri, being drafted 86th overall in 2012 and cracking the lineup in 2015-16 for the first time. He helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, posting 12 points in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games during that run.
Justin Faulk on the move?
Despite Parayko refusing to be traded, it's clear that the Blues have positioned themselves as sellers ahead of the deadline. It remains to be seen whether Robert Thomas or Brayden Schenn get a change of scenery, but all signs point to Justin Faulk being moved.
Faulk, another right-shot defender, is signed through next season at a $6.5 million cap hit, and the 33-year-old owns a 15-team no-trade list. He is having a strong offensive season in 2025-26, to the tune of 11 goals and 32 points in 61 games.
Considering Parayko will be sticking around until at least the offseason — if LeBrun's reporting is correct — that should lead to an uptick in interest for Faulk's services on Friday.
With the Blues a full 12 points back of the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference with 21 games left, it's almost certain they won't be playing meaningful hockey at the end of April.
It'll be interesting to see if Faulk ends up getting dealt, and what other St. Louis roster players will be moving on sometime in the next couple of hours. All trades and rumors are being documented in ClutchPoints' official NHL Trade Deadline tracker.
