After a deal between the St. Louis Blues and the Buffalo Sabres involving Robert Thomas has reportedly fallen through, the Sabres shift their attention toward Blues right-handed defensemen Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk.
Yesterday, TSN’s Darren Dreger revealed that the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues were discussing a trade involving Robert Thomas.
According to Dreger, that deal, despite going the distance, has fallen through because the Sabres were unwilling to part with the necessary pieces to make it work.
Instead of Thomas, Dreger reports that the Sabres remain on the hunt for a right-handed defenseman, naming Blues’ Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko as possibilities.
Faulk has appeared in the rumor mill for quite some time now, and all signs point to him being dealt before the March 6 trade deadline. The 33-year-old owns a $6.5-million cap hit with an additional year remaining.
In addition to his contract situation, Faulk is a veteran, two-way defender capable of playing over 20 minutes a night. In 60 games this season, Faulk has notched 11 goals and 32 points. He’s able to play in all situations. He’s a solid penalty killer and has quarterbacked the Blues’ top power play unit all season long.
Parayko brings the same veteran presence and leadership as Faulk, but not the same offensive abilities. Instead, he brings a size factor rivalled by very few players.
Standing 6-foot-6, the 32-year-old also owns a $6.5-million cap hit, but he is in just the fourth year of an eight-year contract. Parayko has played in 58 games this season, scoring one goal, 14 points, blocking 161 shots, and throwing 61 hits while averaging 22:24 of ice time. He ranks third in average ice time and first in block shots on the Blues.
Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)Faulk and Parayko would both fit into the Sabres lineup perfectly. The current Sabres defense core consists of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson, and Michael Kesselring. Kesselring is the lone right-handed defenseman, and the shortest defenseman of those five is Byram at 6-foot-1. The Sabres d-core is young, mobile, and big.
The price to acquire Faulk has been reported previously, as the team is looking for a deal similar to what the Calgary Flames received for Rasmus Andersson. As for Parayko, he’s garnered interest on the trade market before, but teams have been either unable to match the Blues’ asking price or were uninterested in attempting to match it.
Right-handed defensemen are a hot commodity, and if the Blues elect to make a trade, they should see a strong return.
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