As the playoffs become a more and more distant hope, it only makes sense to speculate on the pros and cons of trading veteran players for future assets and to turn the roster over to the prospects. Yesterday, The Athletic shared the latest iteration of their trade board, and it had five players from the St. Louis Blues on it. We've already broken down where captain Brayden Schenn could wind up, and now we're going to look at one name that didn't make the big trade board: Colton Parayko.
While Parayko is an experienced veteran defenseman who was named to the Team Canada Olympic roster, there's one massive hurdle in the way of a simple trade: his contract. Parayko owns a full no-trade clause through the summer of 2028, and a limited NTC through the end of his contract in 2030. On top of that, he's already 32 years old and will be in his late 30s by the end of the deal, carrying a $6.5-million AAV. That's a lot of money and time for a player well past his prime.
The pro of trading Parayko would be getting out from under his contract; the con is that, even if he were to waive his trade protections, the Blues are unlikely to get much value in return. Parayko brings size and the handedness NHL general managers covet, but he doesn't score much and isn't the strongest play driver. However, Parayko's going through something of a renaissance this year: he's rocking a 51.61 xGF% at 5-on-5, which is his best mark since the 2018-19 season. If the Blues were to find a taker for Parayko, they'd be selling somewhat high on him--and the risk of him declining again after this season is significant. Even if the Blues don't get a true premium asset back, the risk of getting nothing down the line is far greater.
However, the Blues do need somebody to play on their blue line, and Parayko's veteran presence could be a positive influence on the Blues' defense prospects as they enter the NHL. Trading him would further diminish an already thin defense corps while the next wave of Blues defensemen develop. That said, it would create quite an opportunity for someone like Adam Jiricek, because someone would have to step in and play Parayko's minutes.
A Parayko trade seems unlikely, given the chatter around other Blues players--but it wouldn't be shocking if they find a partner to work something out. It would probably benefit the Blues more to move on from Parayko as soon as a decent opportunity presents itself (maybe if he pops off in the Olympics?), but keeping him around for now shouldn't be a problem, either.