Parayko Nixes Sabres Trade: Buffalo eyes Leafs' OEL as deadline pivot for top-4 D

Hours after initially being reported to be on his way from the St. Louis Blues to the Buffalo Sabres following multiple insiders saying a deal was near, the trade has reportedly fallen apart as Colton Parayko decided against waiving his no-trade clause, forcing a pivot for St. Louis.

According to Elliotte Friedman, Parayko did not waive his NTC, killing the deal between the Sabres and Blues, the second failed deal between the two sides after talks for Robert Thomas intensified, and then fizzled out.

The initial terms of the trade would have seen Parayko be dealt by St. Louis to Buffalo in exchange for defenseman prospect Radim Mrtka and a first round pick.

What is unknown now is if Parayko will be dealt by the Blues, and to whom, or if Parayko has a team that he will waive his no-trade for, but at this time a near trade fails to get to the finish line, and it won't be Buffalo.

The St. Louis Blues were potentially getting a future Parayko type player in Radim Mrtka along with a first, a dream return that will be hard to get a comparable deal elsewhere.

For a rebuilding Blues team, they may get less than that offer elsewhere, and likely won't be as ecstatic with what else they get, but they've set a clear framework for a return being a top prospect and a first round pick. Now that remains is who, or if there, is a team willing to pay it.

Where St. Louis now has to find where they may be able to gain a top prospect again, Buffalo is now searching for RHD help, and find at least a decent alternative to Parayko with a second option.

According to David Pagnotta, with Parayko off the table, multiple options could exist for Buffalo on the right-side including Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Ekman-Larsson could be the next man up, and with Parayko revealing that he's willing to use his NTC to pick his spot, it could position OEL as multiple team's backup option if Parayko is out of a team's chances.

There is a potential benefit financially to Ekman-Larsson, making $3.5M annually vs Parayko at $6.5M, all while producing more offense.

The next 24 hours will see the Blues try to gain in the vicinity of the return they almost had for Colton Parayko, while being limited by a firm line from the player and the brass having clear trade demands.

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