St. Louis Blues trade Colton Parayko to Buffalo Sabres, no-trade approval required to finalize
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 4, 2026 (4:42 PM)
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Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Darren Dreger reports Colton Parayko is heading to the Buffalo Sabres, and the $6.5M cap hit screams "all-in" at the trade deadline.
Parayko is 32, a 2012 third-round pick, No. 86, drafted by the St. Louis Blues, and he had to sign off thanks to his no-trade clause.
He brings a $6,500,000 AAV through 2029-30, with a full no-trade clause through 2027-28, then a modified no-trade list after that.
This is Buffalo buying a right-shot minute-eater who can kill plays early, win net-front battles, and calm the game down when it gets messy.
Parayko's 2025-26 line so far is 1-13-14 in 58 games, and the points are not the pitch.
The pitch is his reach, his first pass, and the way he lets your best puck-movers breathe.
Buffalo is 36-19-6 after Tuesday's win, and the roster finally looks like it believes that record.
They already roll Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram, but this adds a true match-up anchor for the hard minutes.
Colton Parayko makes the Buffalo Sabres dangerous
Sabres fans have been waiting years to feel this kind of swagger, and it honestly looks strange in a good way.
In a perfect world, Parayko slides next to Power and lets the kid play faster without bleeding odd-man rushes.
That also frees Dahlin to hunt offense without carrying every shutdown shift on his back.
The cap math matters too, because taking the full $6.5M means Buffalo is not tip-toeing around future extensions.
The immediate tell will be Thursday at Pittsburgh when Parayko is expected to make his debut, when the Sabres can start stacking their pairs for playoff-style matchups.
If you want a deadline signal that Buffalo is done being patient, this is it.
Also read on HockeyLatest :
Toronto Maple Leafs scratch Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson for trade protection
Toronto Maple Leafs scratch Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson for trade protection
| POLL | ||
MARS 4|123 ANSWERS St. Louis Blues trade Colton Parayko to Buffalo Sabres, no-trade approval required to finalize Should the Buffalo Sabres lock Colton Parayko into the top pair right away? | ||
| Yes | 83 | 67.5 % |
| No | 40 | 32.5 % |
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