St. Louis Blues star defenseman Colton Parayko and the Buffalo Sabres made headlines Wednesday afternoon after it was reported that he would be moved to Buffalo in a blockbuster trade.
The Blues and Sabres had initially agreed on a trade to acquire Parayko, but only if the defenseman waived his no-tradeclause. The reported deal would’ve sent Radim Mrtka and a first round pick to the Blues, in exchange for Parayko.
Parayko, 32, is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $32 million contract. He recently competed for Team Canada at the Olympics and was a key member of St. Louis’ 2019 Stanley Cup-winning team. On Thursday, it was reported that Parayko would not waive his no-trade clause to go to Buffalo, ultimately keeping him in St. Louis.
Parayko, at 6-foot-6, would have brought sufficient playoff experience as well as a physical presence to the Sabres’ blue line. With the deal now fallen through, Buffalo is still eager to add talent to their roster before the NHL trade deadline, which is Friday, March 6, at 3pm EST.
GettyFlyers Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen
Big Names Still On The Market
Despite Buffalo’s shortcomings with this attempted acquisition, there is still an ample amount of time to get a deal in place before the trade deadline.
These notable players include:
- Toronto Maple Leafs Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Philadelphia Flyers Rasmus Ristolainen
- Winnipeg Jets’ Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn
- New Jersey Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler
- New York Rangers’ Braden Schneider
Starting with Toronto, Ekman-Larsson is a suitable option for Buffalo. Ekman-Larsson, 34, has 61 games played (GP), 8 goals (G), and 35 points (P) this season. He would have a cap hit of $3.50 average annual value (AAV) until 2028.
Current Flyer and former Sabre Rasmus Ristolainen would be a familiar option for Buffalo. This season, he has 23 GP, 1 G, and 6 P, with a cap hit of $5.10M AAV until 2027. Ristolainen, now 31, was drafted by Buffalo in 2013 and was with the team until 2021 where he would be traded to Philadelphia.
Jets D-Men Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn are also suitable options for Buffalo. Stanley (27) has 59 GP, 9 G, 21 P, with a cap hit of $1.25M AAV until 2026. Schenn, age 36 has 46 GP, 1G, and 7 P with a cap hit of $2.75M AAV until 2026. Both are suitable and relatively cheap options that can help make an impact.
Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler, 28, has a cap hit of $3.40M AAV until 2028, and a current trade clause in his contract. This season, he has 62 GP, 0G, and 7 P.
Finally, the youngest candidate is Rangers Braden Schneider, age 24, is a very appealing trade candidate. He doesn’t have a trade clause and has a cap hit of $2.20M AAV until 2026. Schneider also has 60 GP, 2 G, and 11 P this season.
GettySabres General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen
Time To Make A Move?
With the trade deadline continuing to wind down, Buffalo is still determined to bring in more defensive depth and gear up for a hectic playoff run in the overpowered Eastern Conference.
Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen will remain busy working the phones in hopes to get a deal done in time to give Buffalo some much needed depth for the late stages of the year, and for a potential playoff run.
Other D-Men Buffalo Can Target Before Trade Deadline