The St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres are approaching a deal, but for whom? The initial trade scenario involving Blues star forward Robert Thomas has now subsided and moved back a step or two. The focus now is on one of two defensemen from the Blues.
Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko have now moved to the forefront of the trade board for the Blues, and Buffalo is getting really close to making an offer. Both players should bring back a pretty good return and help start the next era of Blues hockey.
As reported by Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic, he writes, "Per Dreger, the Sabres and Blues are now focused more on a deal involving a defenseman, whether that’s Colton Parayko (full no-trade clause) or Justin Faulk (15-team no-trade list). Either would address Buffalo’s real need. So stay tuned on that one. Parayko would be a real beauty of an add for Buffalo."
Which one will the Blues trade?
It all depends on what the Sabres offer Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong. The requested return for Faulk mirrors that of Rasmus Andersson's move to Vegas, but there is no confirmed scope of how much it would cost to acquire Parayko. Both defenseman have a chance to make an immediate impact on that Sabres team, and help them have a solid playoff run.
The Blues ultimately win out here, as both of those contracts are only getting harder to move. Both blueliners are aging fast, with a good amount of life left on their deals. Waiting until the offseason might work in terms of moving Thomas, but it will not be as easy as moving Parayko and Faulk. The time to move on them is by Friday, or else they might never move at all.
Stay tuned for more between these two teams, as eventually, a deal of some kind will be made.