With the St. Louis Blues' offseason officially in full swing, some unfinished business will need to be sorted out.
One particular order of business pertains to defenseman Colton Parayko. We all recall the debacle that ensued at the NHL trade deadline. The botched trade to the Buffalo Sabres unleashed a flurry of backlash in both organizations.
Parayko was a marine and finished out the season in St. Louis. But just because he nixed the deal to Buffalo doesn’t mean he actually wants to stay with the Blues. Refusing to waive his no-trade clause could just mean that he didn’t want to go to Buffalo.
That said, it would be a shocker to see Parayko return. The rationale behind that assertion is simple. There’s no telling how fractured the relationship between the Blues and Parayko may have gotten.
Of course, there wasn’t enough time to explore another trade at the deadline. During the offseason, however, there’s plenty of time to explore a move.
As far as where Parayko could go, that’s another story entirely. Since Parayko controls his destinations, he could dictate where he would like to go. As such, it seems like Parayko and the Blues will have to sit down and agree on which direction this situation will take.
It’s time Parayko had that conversation with Alex Steen
One of the main narratives this season was that Doug Armstrong was willing to play the role of the villain on his way out the door. Instead of kicking the can down the road, Armstrong was willing to deal with the toughest issues, allowing incoming GM Alex Steen a shot at a fresh start.
But time is running out on Armstrong’s tenure. Steen’s time is now, and he’ll likely need to have a heart-to-heart with Parayko’s representation. That conversation will surely focus on what Parayko would like to do.
Sure, there’s the chance that Parayko wants to stay in St. Louis. That’s a possibility. But you have to wonder just how much the organization would like to move on from him, especially if there’s a solid deal on the table.
That’s why it’s unlikely that Parayko will come back. What happened at the deadline was like a company trying to fire an employee. However, the company could not pull it off due to a legal issue.
In that situation, would the employee come into the office beaming after knowing the company wanted to fire them? If anything, the employee would start looking for a new job.
That’s the situation the Blues could be facing. Unless Steen smooths things over, it’s likely Parayko’s days in St. Louis are over. It will be interesting to see what deal the Blues may have on the table for the rugged blueliner.
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