Colton Parayko said no to the trade, and now the Blues look like a franchise at a crossroads. Randy Karraker and Matthew Rocchio break down why Parayko used his no-trade clause, why fans are split, and what this says about the Blues’ bigger plan.
The guys dig into the reported Buffalo deal, Pat Maroon’s passionate defense of Parayko, and whether the Blues are quietly following the same youth movement path as the Cardinals. They also debate how much Alexander Steen and Doug Armstrong are shaping this transition behind the scenes, and whether this core has already shown its ceiling.
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25 Comments
We already know he has a contract…we know he got a cheaper aav. We as fans also have the right to want him to wave for the future of the team. We understand he has the right to not accept the trade. We are not stupid. You are not the only smart people in the room. Get out of your bubble. Don't lecture fans on what they can be upset about. We get it. You're friends with the guy so you are offering biased reporting on this.
BTW, blues fans in north county have very rarely seen a blues player. They are in your elite posh areas that you live in.
Nolan Arenado of STL Blues Hockey
I love Randy and Roc. Both guys are very smart, but like I said during the show, I disagree 100%. I know why they do no trade clause, but again, they are so stupid, and here's why the players have no drive to play great what do you do with players that have no trade clause when they give a crap effort every game like this team continues to do year after year 2 coaches fired and working on a 3rd you can't send a 8 million dollar player down because it's in his contract and he makes 8 million you can't sit him out more then a couple games because he makes 8 million a year and you can't trade him because he won't wave his deal so your stuck with several players that just come to play to cash a check it's so bad every player on this team with a no trade has sucked all year except for 1 I have been a huge fan since 1970 when there's no type of punishment for giving a half ass effort this is what you get and I just saw a video on nhl that parayko did say he would maybe accept a trade to someone like the kings are ducks if in fact he said that then its not about him loving us fans
I don’t care about what’s best for Parayko. I care what’s best for the Blues. And he isn’t it. Send him to LA or Anaheim for a prospect, and be done with the statue on ice.
Insane he doesn't understand all the anger. Obviously he doesn't see or doesn't want to see what is happening in this world. Privilege must be nice.
it has to do with a girlfriend, happens all over ,it dictates, young men have given up football scholarships
At first i was a little ticked off that he wouldn't waive the no trade but one thing and one thing only shifted me on Paraykos side, keep all the sappy "he loves st.louis" and all the community crap ,most players do this some better than others but especially the ones on long term deals and they dont do it out of their pure heart and soul, the organizations have PR requirements and requests for them to put a good face on the team to sell tickets and when they want some financial support for upgrades, repairs etc.the community has a positive feeling towards the team, its all image building for player and organization, so keep all that b.s. but if a team offers the no trade for a discount , I'll take the lower number, of a million per on a long term deal? Well Colton bought a no trade clause for 6 million dollars. If the blues want the trade to really go through, reimburse the man for the cost or drop it. Anyone that spends that amount on a product or stipulation has every right to use it, so the blues should be offering a substantial buyout if they think that highly of the return
Paranko already has won a cup!! Obviously he doesn't care about playing for a winning team😢that being said, I wouldn't wanna love in Buffalo either😊
This is the problem with no trade clauses, that's on managment😊
Teams should have players sign off on trades before they explore them
Well, what it really means is that Buffalo is no longer a trade partner for anything the Blues have to offer. I'm not mad at Parayko for exercising his contractual conditions just like Nolan Arenado did when he nixed the deal with Houston. Although, I remember STL media blasting Arenado hamstringing the Cardinals. Good for both of them. Parayko wants to be here for yet another rebuild, if it ever happens.
What did we learn here? That NTC or NMC are an anchor to a team dragging them down to the sea floor.
I would have been disppointed if Parayko left just like I am disappointed Brendan Donovan left the Cardinals but they are starting from scratch anyway. The Blues will need to find other ways to improve the team.
Randy, what is the difference between baseball & Hockey contracts? In baseball its not uncommon for a player to waive a no-trade clause for cash compensation or a contract extension but you never hear of that in hockey. I wouldn't expect the player to give it up for free- they likely would have gotten more money had they not demanded the No trade in their contract. First Krug and now Parayko. That all being said, news of the trade negotiations were mishandled somewhere. That should not have been made public until Parayko was informed and his acceptance was given.
Im glad he didn't want to come to Buffalo. We dodged a bullet. He is on downtown of his career
Thanks for all the NTC's, Doug!
Now I hope the Sabres win the cup
Glad he said NO. I want MRTKA to stay with Buffalo. He is gonna be a beast!
A hockey career is short. He has worked to set himself up post-career in St. Louis.
Buffalo got a lot better now. With the three players they pick up at the dead line. Colton did what he did for his family and himself. But I wonder what Colton thinks of the Blues now when they were ready to dump him.
Colton Parayko it's not a very good defenseman. He makes too many mistakes in his defensive zone. He doesn't assert himself enough. He plays a soft game even though he is a giant. The truth is the blues were ready to pull off a heist. That is why Doug Armstrong is mad. Let's be truthful about this!
I’ve heard both sides, but the bottom lines is that he signed a contract then he should be playing better then he has since the cup, he not worth the money that he’s being paid. You have a player that scores less than then 5 goals. He allows forwards to get by or out play him. I blame him for letting goals that get scored when he’s on the ice. He hasn’t lived up to his contract. If I am not performing at work they fire me. He hasn’t done anything since the cup. Why don’t you ask him why he’s not doing his job to earn the money he’s getting. He’s a jerk of a player. Don’t tell me it’s the weather in Buffalo. He hasn’t done anything., He has a cushy job that pays him and doesn’t work for it. He’s a jerk .
Buffalo has no palm trees, I guess.
I would never call the Blues for any trades everyone has a no move or no trade deal, waste of time even calling them
Why would Armstrong be making trades when he’s leaving the team anyways?
I'm surprised that Armstrong hasn't given no trade clauses to the concession stand workers and the Zamboni driver.