Even though they picked up Ilya Lyubushkin in a three-team trade with Anaheim and Carolina on Thursday night, there’s no question that the Leafs are still out there looking to bolster their blue line ahead of next Friday’s trade deadline.
Enter the St. Louis Blues.
At the best of times, no one ever knows what Blues GM Doug Armstrong is thinking. And unsurprisingly, this year is no different. The veteran executive is a wildcard —plain and simple. He always has been. He always will be.
With that in mind, it would be foolish to speculate on what St. Louis could be up to over the next week. Simply put, there’s not a phone call Armstrong isn’t willing to pick up —regardless of time, place, or location.
If you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs, the name Colton Parayko should be of considerable interest to you. And depending on who you talk to, the Alberta native has been on the organization’s radar for quite some time now.
Parayko, 30, has six more years remaining after this one on his eight year, $52-million contract. It’s a whopper —there’s no doubt about that. For starters, a deal of this magnitude would require creativity from both parties involved. It’s hard to move big money contracts at the best of times, never mind in-season with an abundance of term still left on it. Moral of the story: A variety of teams would have to get involved: Not just the Leafs and Blues.
In Parayko, Toronto would be adding a towering 6’6’’ right-handed shooting blue liner who – when on top of his game – provides considerable snarl, size, and puck moving ability. On paper, he’s a very good match for the Leafs, but ultimately, the salary cap world is a hard one to do business in. Parayko checks a lot of boxes for Brad Treliving and company —both short-term, and long.
As for price tag, you would think that Toronto’s first rounder – the one Brad Treliving said he would be open to moving for controllable assets – would undoubtedly have to be in play, among other things. Again, it would be a complicated deal to put together, but it would be unfair to put anything past two supremely experienced general managers.
Any way you slice it, it would make a lot of sense for Toronto and St. Louis to get together on a deal. In 59 outings so far this season, Parayko has 9 goals and 21 points.
