Reports: Sabres working on trade for St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko
The Buffalo Sabres are well into the process of acquiring defenseman Colton Parayko, according to multiple reports.
The Buffalo Sabres are well into the process of acquiring St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, according to multiple reports.
The holdup in the deal, which was reported Wednesday by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, was that Parayko has a no-trade clause, and Parayko must approve a trade to the Sabres.
TSN reported that defenseman Radim Mrtka, the Sabres' first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a future first-round pick would also be part of the anticipated trade.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) chases St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) in the first period of their game at KeyBank Center on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Joed Viera/Buffalo News
Parayko is a 6-foot-6, 228-pound defenseman who has one goal and 13 assists and is a minus-14 in 58 games this season.
However, he is a 11-year NHL veteran with the Blues, who would bring size and a right-handed shot to the Sabres' defense, and he would boost depth and experience within the position group.
Parayko has 141 blocked shots this season. The Sabres lost Conor Timmins to a broken leg on Dec. 18, and there is no exact timeline for Timmins, a defenseman and one of the team's top shot blockers before the injury (70 blocked shots in 33 games this season), as far as when he will return to the roster.
The NHL's trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET Friday.
Parayko is in the fourth year of an eight-year contract that has an average annual value of $6.5 million. According to Puckpedia.com, he has a base salary of $8 million this season, which drops to $$6.35 million in 2026-27, then to $4.8 million in the final three seasons of his contract, which runs through the 2029-30 season.
Parayko helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019, and helped Canada earn the silver medal in men's hockey in the Winter Olympics in February in Milan. The St. Louis Blues play at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday at Seattle, and Parayko has not played in the Blues' last two games due to back spasms.
