We now know the price to be paid for Colton Parayko

Michaël Petit
We now know the price to be paid for Colton Parayko
Credit: Youtube

Many Montreal Canadiens fans were hoping Kent Hughes would make a move at this year's trade deadline.

Fans were calling for a little bit of everything, but mostly more grit on offense and/or an experienced right-handed defenseman.

Several names were mentioned, but there was one in particular who would have been an excellent addition: Colton Parayko.

The St. Louis Blues had struck a deal with the Buffalo Sabres, but the player in question vetoed the trade using his no-trade clause.

The Sabres reportedly offered 18-year-old giant defenseman Radim Mrtka—who was the ninth overall pick in the last draft—along with a first-round pick.

There was no officially set price by the Blues to acquire Parayko, but now we have confirmation of what it would have taken—and even what it could cost right from the start of the offseason.

According to Bruce Garrioch, the price would be a first-round pick and a quality prospect.

It's pretty interesting to know what the Blues would ask for the 32-year-old veteran.

It also gives us an idea of what the Habs might offer the Blues.

The prospect in question could be Michael Hage or David Reinbacher, and a first-round pick would need to be added to that.

Personally, if St. Louis asks for Hage, I'd hang up the phone, because that would create a hole on offense (and at center). Plus, with Reinbacher's emergence, there could eventually be congestion on the right side of the blue line. 

The last point isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not ideal, especially when the Habs could offer a quality prospect in Reinbacher. The Austrian would fill the hole left by Parayko's departure for the future (if he agreed to the trade) and is still a No. 5 pick in the draft.

For the Habs, he would finally be the perfect partner to play alongside Lane Hutson, and that would greatly solidify the defensive corps.

Imagine a top-6 defensive pairing that would look like this:

Hutson – Parayko

Matheson – Dobson

Guhle – Carrier

Not too shabby, right?

Remember that Parayko is under contract for four more seasons at $6.5 million per season. With the salary cap rising, that shouldn't be a problem for the Habs' future.

For a 32-year-old, 6-foot-6 veteran defenseman who won the Cup in 2019 and is one of the top three defensive defensemen in the NHL, the price is reasonable. He ranks sixth in the NHL in blocked shots this season, while Noah Dobson is second.

Parayko also has a cannon of a shot (he often scores that way). He still managed to score 16 goals last year with very little power-play time.

In short, he'd be a perfect fit, both in Montreal and in St. Louis.


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