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A potential road block standing in the way of a Leafs/Blues deal centered around Colton Parayko
Photo credit: Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire
It's been talked about to death. The Leafs desperately need to add a right handed defenceman if they want to go deep in the playoffs. The trade deadline is fast approaching and while the recently re-added Ilya Lyubushkin is a serviceable player, he's not a top pairing guy. If the Leafs were able to add a true top RHD to the roster, it would instantly launch them from pretenders to contenders. The issue is that those guys don't exactly grow on trees. Brad Treliving has reportedly asked on nearly every defender in the league, but the name that seems to be on everyone's lips lately is Colton Parayko.
Imagine, a smooth skating, six foot six righty with elite defensive skills partnering with the offensively gifted Morgan Rielly. Parayko is a proven winner and his skill set compliments Rielly's perfectly. There has been talk that the Blues would like to move one of their big contracts on the blue line, and so the speculation around a potential deal between the Leafs and Blues has grown from there.
In order to make a move work, there would have to be money coming off the books for the Leafs. Parayko is signed through 2029-30, so retention isn't likely to happen. T.J. Brodie would likely be headed the other way, along with a package of picks and prospects, maybe even another roster player if such a deal were to occur. It would be a blockbuster move no doubt.
With so much chatter around a potential deal, Bally Sports St. Louis reporter Andy Strickland reminded everyone that in order for any trade to take place, Parayko would have to waive the trade protection in his contract. As of right now, Parayko has not been asked to do so.
In the interest of clarity, this does not mean that a deal involving the Leafs and Parayko is off the table or that it's not being discussed. A player is usually only asked to waive trade protection after the deal has been agreed upon, in principle, by the two GM's at the negotiating table. What it does mean is that simply making a strong enough offer to the Blues front office won't be enough to get it done. Parayko will only be a Leaf if he wants to. If I were in Treliving's shoes, I would be doing everything in my power to make it happen.
| POLL | ||
MARS 6 | 623 ANSWERS A potential road block standing in the way of a Leafs/Blues deal centered around Colton Parayko Should the Leafs be willing to make a huge offer to land Colton Parayko for the next six seasons? | ||
| No, there are better options | 179 | 28.7 % |
| Yes, whatever it takes! | 298 | 47.8 % |
| Blues won't give him up | 146 | 23.4 % |
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