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A Trade Reversal between the St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Shaun Carier | Last updated Mar 5, 2026 3:36 PM ET

Per reporting from multiple NHL Insiders yesterday, a trade was completed between the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues. However, as we have learned today, the reported trade, will not be going through. Colton Parayko will remain at Blue, for now.

What We Know

The Sabres and Blues agreed to a trade yesterday. The proposed trade would’ve sent Parayko to Buffalo, in exchange for a 2026 first rounder and a 2025 ninth-overall pick Radim Mrtka. The one hiccup in the deal is that Parayko has a full no movement clause. He did not waive his no move clause yesterday, leaving fans of both teams in limbo.

Reported this morning by Elliotte Friedman, Parayko will officially not be waiving his no movement clause for this trade. This is Parayko’s contractual right. This marks the second time this week Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has swung and missed with the Blues. First with Robert Thomas, where the asking price was just too high, and now with Parayko.

Officially, Colton Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause to Buffalo — as is his contractual right.

We will see where we go from here

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2026

Moving Forward

Parayko can still be traded ahead of the trade deadline on Friday afternoon. However, it requires him to waive his no movement clause to a more desired location, possibly to stay in the Western Conference. Which, if he didn’t do the trade and go to the sixth best team in the NHL, seemingly, might not happen. But the Blues can still shop him, and if they get any offers from other teams, they can still accept a trade, and put Parayko in the same position he was just in with Buffalo.

On the other hand, Buffalo will seemingly re-enter the market for a right-shot defenceman. Now, they will enter the trade market in a much less buyer friendly market, with guys like Tyler Myers, Parayko, MacKenzie Weegar and Connor Murphy all off the table. They have been linked to Rasmus Ristolainen in Philadelphia. That would be a fun reunion for both parties.

One thing is becoming apparent: the Sabres are aggressively buying. They want to win now, it has been 14 years of no playoffs. The team is desperate not to let it get to 15, they’re heading in the right direction, and they have an aggressive GM. All great things to see if you’re a Sabres fan.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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