Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Trade talks between the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues are quite apparent ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday. While talk around one big piece has reportedly cooled off, chatter surrounding some moving pieces on the blue line continues.
After originally reporting Tuesday that talks between both teams have "heated up" regarding center Robert Thomas, TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger provided an update on those conversations Wednesday morning, saying both teams "went the distance" in conversations surrounding the 26-year-old.
However, Dreger says the Sabres are not willing to part with the necessary pieces the Blues are asking for in a trade for Thomas. TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston says the Blues are looking for 3-to-4 "premium assets" in a package for Thomas, which likely includes prospects, a player and a first-round pick.
While talks surrounding Thomas have simmered, at least for now, Dreger says both teams continue to chat about a pair of right-shot defensemen on the St. Louis back end that could be of help for the Sabres in their push for the postseason - Justin Faulk or Colton Parayko.
Blues insider with The Athletic, Jeremy Rutherford adds to Dreger's report Wednesday, specifically saying to keep an eye on trade talks with the Sabres and Blues on Parayko.
Parayko has been a longtime stalwart on the St. Louis blue line, spending the entirety of his 11-year career, to this point, with the Blues. In 781 career games, the 32-year-old has scored 78 goals and added 231 assists for 309 points, while averaging 22:29 of ice-time as a top-four defenseman.
The native of St. Albert, Alberta was a former third-round pick (86th overall) of the Blues in the 2012 NHL Draft. After playing two seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Parayko signed his entry-level contract in St. Louis and joined the organization's American Hockey League team for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
It didn't take long for Parayko to make an impression on the Blues, as the 6-foot-6 defender ended up making the opening day roster during his 2015-16 campaign and has not looked back ever since.
Over parts of his 11 years in the NHL, Parayko has registered 30-or-more points five times as a two-way defender on the right side of the ice. He was named as part of the First-Team All-Rookie class in 2016, and helped the Blues win a Stanley Cup in 2019 with 12 points (2+10) in 26 games played.
Parayko is also a silver medalist representing Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
Parayko is currently in Year 4 of an eight-year contract he signed with the Blues back in 2021 worth an average annual value of $6.5 million.
As for Faulk, the veteran blue liner has one more year remaining on his current contract with the Blues, where he's set to count a similar $6.5 million figure against the salary cap.
Faulk has been with the Blues organization since being acquired via trade from the Carolina Hurricanes just before the start of the 2019-20 season. In 481 career games in St. Louis, spanning parts of seven seasons, Faulk has scored 56 goals and added 176 assists for 232 points, while averaging 22:37 of ice-time.
His best season in the NHL, to date, came in his 2022-23 campaign, where he scored 11 goals and registered a career-best 39 assists for 50 points in a full 82 games played.
The St. Paul, Minn. native was originally drafted in the second round (37th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Draft. In 559 games spent with the Hurricanes from 2011-19, Faulk scored 85 goals and added 173 assists for 253 points.
Faulk was also an Olympian with Team USA back in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The 6-foot, 208-pound defenseman will be 34-years-old later this month.
The NHL Trade Deadline is set for Friday at 3 p.m. EST.
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