Frank Seravalli was joined by Tyler Yaremchuk to discuss the possibility of the Ottawa Senators making a move for Colton Parayko on the latest episode of "Daily Faceoff Live."
Tyler Yaremchuk: Has there been some growing chatter that St. Louis is looking to move on from one of their expensive defensemen?
Frank Seravalli: Yeah, and I think the point is St. Louis is trying to create some salary cap flexibility there. I’m told that one of the teams that have inquired with the Blues in recent days about Colton Parayko is the Ottawa Senators. Probably not a shock there, also considering that the Sens have been on the prowl for a difference-maker on defense.
Right-shot defenseman Colton Parayko is in the first year of that eight-year deal at $6.5 million. He’s got the size at 6-foot-6, I think his game has trended the wrong way in the last couple of years. In terms of his productivity and his impact on the ice for the Blues.
And if they’re looking to make a dent in their blueline and create some of that cap flexibility, Parayko has some value. I’m told that what the Blues are looking for in return for Parayko is a younger defenseman under team control at a more reasonable salary cap number. Think of some of the younger guys that the Sens have had in and out of their blueline the last number of years. The prospects that they’ve been shepherding through the pipeline, someone closer to NHL ready that the Blues could plug into their lineup. And not experience a significant drop-off between Parayko and the next guy.
That’s really where it gets difficult for some of these teams. They’re saying, well we like the growth that we’re seeing in some of our younger defensemen. To then take that out and add in a player like Parayko, who is 29 and as I mentioned is in the first year of that deal that goes to age 37. That can be a little bit of a difficult proposition to make. If you’re the Sens and you’re trying to finally get moving in the right direction, getting some real stability from Parayko could go a long way in terms of accomplishing that.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson are just a couple of right-shot defensemen that the Sens have used first-round picks on in recent memory. That may be a direction that the Blues are looking to go. But I just look at that and I keep thinking, if you’re a team with good young right-shot defensemen, do you want to give that up to get 29-year-old Colton Parayko?
He has eight more years on a deal. Do you want to be stuck paying for age 36, 37 seasons of Colton Parayko at $6.5 million? I feel like that contract could be more of a stumbling block than some people think, Frank.
Frank Seravalli: That’s why the ask I think is not too much, in the sense that they’re not looking for a Jake Sanderson-type player in return, it’s one of those lower-case guys. The value in this deal isn’t the piece you’re getting back for St. Louis, it’s what you’re moving on from in Colton Parayko. And so, is there a fit there?
I think the Blues have recognized exactly that, that perhaps this contract will end up being onerous. We know that big guys, that size, don’t always tend to age that well. So maybe that’s one of the things that the Blues are considering as they’re trying to reboot.
They are an exciting team because they aren’t trying to make the playoffs, they have a better shot in the lottery at 5% for Connor Bedard. It became a whole lot more interesting in St. Louis, they’re not trying to rebuild.
You can watch the rest of the episode here…
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