32-year-old blueliner has 14 points in 58 games with St. Louis this season.
The Buffalo Sabres have been linked over the last 24 hours to deals with the St. Louis Blues, who are in the process of selling off major pieces of their roster that won a Stanley Cup in 2019. On Tuesday, reports had the Sabres targeting center Robert Thomas, but on Wednesday morning, TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that those talks had cooled. On Wednesday afternoon, Dreger and others are indicating that the Sabres are on the verge of a deal that would bring veteran defenseman Colton Parayko to Buffalo.
Parayko was a member of Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina and is in year four of an eight-year, $52 million contract ($6.5 million AAV). After scoring a career-high 16 goals last season, the 32-year-old blueliner has 14 points (1 goal, 13 assists) in 58 games. Dreger is indicating that the deal would consist of Sabres 2025 first-rounder Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick, but that things have not been finalized, including the veteran defenseman waiving his no-trade clause.
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The talks regarding Thomas (which may have included Parayko as part of a larger deal) reportedly consisted of an ask of an NHL player, prospect(s) and a future first, or as GM Doug Armstrong reportedly indicated, “three first-half of the first round assets.” In a piece in The Athletic on Tuesday, Jeremy Rutherford indicated that he could not see 2021 top overall pick Owen Power being part of the deal, or young winger Zach Benson. The speculation centered around Sabres 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius, Mrtka, and possibly the club’s 2026 first-rounder.
Although there has been no reporting that the ‘26 first-rounder is off the table, the Sabres are playing host to the NHL Draft in late June, and have already traded their second-round pick in the Norris - Dylan Cozens deal.
Mrtka, 18, was selected ninth overall by the Sabres last June and impressed at training camp last September with his wingspan and skating ability. The 6’6”, 218 lb. righty is having another solid season with Seattle in the WHL with 29 points (1 goal, 28 assists) in 35 games. Although Mrtka is a promising prospect, he is not projected to be a big offensive producer.
According to Puckpedia, the Sabres have $7.5 million in deadline cap space, which would accommodate Parayko’s salary, but that might be inconsequential depending on his waiving his full no-trade clause. The Athletic is reporting that the Blues have agreed to the deal, but it is pending the veteran’s approval. Buffalo’s recent success may give them more of a chance of convincing Parayko to accept a deal, but he has spent 11 seasons in St. Louis and could choose to wait for a more favorable destination, as former Sabre Tyler Myers did, refusing to waive to go to Detroit before being dealt to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
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