The Buffalo Sabres are on the verge of one of the most significant trades in the franchise’s recent history — but it all hinges on one man’s decision.
TSN’s Darren Dreger broke the news Wednesday that Buffalo and the St. Louis Blues have a framework in place to send shutdown defenseman Colton Parayko to Western New York. The catch? The 32-year-old veteran holds a full no-movement clause, and as of Wednesday night, he hadn’t made up his mind.
“Blues and Sabres have a framework of a trade in place,” Victory+ insider Frank Seravalli wrote on X. “However, at this exact moment, Parayko has not made a decision yet on whether to waive full no-trade clause. He’s been presented with the option.”
Then, on the March 5th edition of the Frankly Hockey podcast with co-host John Buccigross, Seravalli went further, offering a more sobering update for Sabres fans.
Parayko is “leaning towards saying no,” Seravalli said on Thursday.
Update: Ellitote Friedman reported that Parayko has officially declined to waive his no-movement clause and will remain in St. Louis, for now.
Officially, Colton Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause to Buffalo — as is his contractual right.
We will see where we go from here
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2026
Seravalli followed up the news by reporting that Parayko is still open to a trade to a new destinations, just not Buffalo, similar to how things played out with Tyler Myers and the Detroit Red Wings. Myers eventually accepted a deal to the Dallas Stars.
Parayko Is Entrenched in St. Louis
To understand why this decision is so difficult, you have to understand what St. Louis means to Parayko.
Drafted 86th overall by the Blues in 2012, he’s played every single one of his 781 NHL games in a St. Louis sweater. He’s been a part of 89 playoff games and the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Parayko has been on the top pairing for nearly a decade. He’s entrenched, culturally and personally, in the city.
This isn’t just a hockey decision. With four remaining years on his current contract, it’s become a major life decision.
Even as trade rumors swirled and Parayko dealt with back spasms, he showed up to St. Louis’s game against Seattle on Wednesday night.
As of now, no decision has been made. He wasn’t running from it but he wasn’t jumping at it either.
Parayko’s Long-Term Deal Complicates Decision
Parayko carries a $6.5 million cap hit and is signed through the 2029-30 season.
That distinction matters enormously. If he were a pending UFA, he could evaluate Buffalo for two months and make his own call in July. But waiving his clause here is effectively buying a one-way ticket. He’d be a Sabre for the next four-plus seasons, not just a spring adventure.
He was also reportedly surprised by the deal.
Being caught off-guard and staring down a long-term commitment to a franchise he’s never called home makes this a genuinely difficult and personal call.
The Trade Cost: Picks and Prospects
Should Parayko say yes, Buffalo has reportedly agreed to send defensive prospect Radim Mrtka, the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, along with a first-round pick. That’s a massive cost, and it speaks to how seriously the Sabres are pursuing this.
The value proposition for Buffalo is obvious. Parayko is 6-foot-6, 228 pounds, ranks third in the NHL with 141 blocked shots this season, and averages over 22 minutes of ice time a night. He recently anchored Canada’s blue line at the 2026 Winter Olympics, helping the team earn a silver medal.
Buffalo already boasts one of the deepest defensive cores in the league with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Mattias Samuelsson. Adding Parayko gives head coach Lindy Ruff a shutdown anchor for the toughest matchups, freeing those puck-movers to do what they do best.
Can The Sabres Playoff Push Move The Needle?
Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011, the longest active drought in NHL history.
But this season has been different, with the Sabres sitting second in the Atlantic Division race and going 25-5-2 since December 9. They’re real buyers for the first time in over a decade, and GM Jarmo Kekalainen has been aggressive. Many NHL insiders thought the Sabres might deal Alex Tuch, but instead, they’ve become buyers at the trade deadline, acquiring Parayko for their playoff push.
The framework is agreed upon. The price is set. All that’s left is the man himself.
Per Seravalli on Frankly Hockey, Parayko is leaning toward staying in St. Louis, and given everything he’d be walking away from, that’s understandable.
For Sabres fans, the pitch is compelling.
But for Parayko, this is bigger than hockey.
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