In the midst of trade rumors and drama, Torey Krug of the St. Louis Blues appears to be leaning towards not waiving his no-trade clause, according to reports from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. This development has added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing trade discussions between the Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers and while it’s hard to blame Krug for exercising a condition he worked into his contract, it appears the Blues are paying for it.
Speculation suggests that Krug, who was seen as a potential key player in a trade that would involve Kevin Hayes and Travis Sanheim coming back to St. Louis, might end up being flipped by the Flyers to another club, assuming a trade ever materializes. However, with Krug well within his rights to exercise his no-trade clause, the deal may be all but dead. Krug obtained the clause as part of his contract with the Blues back in 2020 when he chose not to sign with the Boston Bruins and took the security of a long-term extension in St. Louis.
At the time, the Blues were panicking, having just lost Alex Pietrangelo to the Vegas Golden Knights. In an effort to replace his production, the team gave Krug a monster deal with favorable conditions. He’s now taking advantage.
Meanwhile, multiple reports indicate that Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk, and Colton Parayko have not been approached by Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong to waive their no-trade clauses. These are the other defenseman on the Blues roster the Flyers might be interested in. It remains to be seen if St. Louis will turn to any of these players and ask them to consider a deal.
While trade discussions continue, it is believed that alternative options were explored earlier in the day. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Flyers’ GM Daniel Briere has been actively seeking other trade options or potential new destinations to flip Krug. However, unless there are significant changes, the original deal is likely to remain in a state of uncertainty.
As the situation evolves, it remains to be seen how the Flyers and Blues will navigate the challenges posed by Krug’s reluctance to waive his no-trade clause. The one thing that seems clear is that the Blues’ decision to grant Krug a full no-trade clause while denying Alex Pietrangelo a no-move clause in the past has seemingly backfired. At the very least, it has complicated their efforts to move on from Krug and alleviate salary cap constraints.
Not to mention, there’s often an interesting dynamic that occurs after a player refuses to waive their no-trade but becomes aware the team is considering or looking to move them. It doesn’t always make for smooth sailing between the team and the player after a trade fails to take place.
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