Blues defenseman Colton Parayko is staying put in St. Louis.
Parayko, 32, invoked the no-movement clause in his contract to prevent a potential trade to the Sabres on Thursday, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The Blues and Sabres reached a trade agreement to send Parayko to Buffalo, knowing that it could only go through if he decided to waive the clause, ESPN reported.
This comes as a huge blow to the Sabres, who are looking to snap a 14-year playoff drought and have the potential to do so this season, entering NHL trade deadline week in second place in the Atlantic Division.
Standing at 6-foot-6, Parayko could have brought a large physical presence to Buffalo’s defense, along with previous playoff experience.
Parayko is in his fourth year of an eight-year, $52 million deal he signed with St. Louis in 2021, which included full no-trade protection.
For the final two seasons of Parayko’s contract, however, the original no-movement clause is modified into a partial no-trade, which typically allows players to submit a list of teams to which they can not be traded.
Parayko has spent his entire 11-year NHL career with the Blues after being taken in the third round of the 2012 draft, and was a key member of St. Louis’ 2019 Stanley Cup-winning squad.
He also recently played for Team Canada, taking home the silver medal, at the 2026 Winter Olympics and told reporters in January that it is an honor to represent his home country.
“It’s a wave of emotions. Obviously, a lot of things that kind of go through your mind, you kind of think back at the beginning of everything that has happened along the journey from the start,” Parayko said, according to the St. Albert Gazette.
“A lot of amazing teammates through my career that have helped me and I can’t say enough about that,” he added.
