Frank Seravalli was joined by Tyler Yaremchuk to discuss the possibility of the Ottawa Senators making a move for Colton Parayko in the latest episode of Daily face-to-face live.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Have there been growing rumors that St. Louis is looking to replace one of its expensive defenders?
Frank Seravalli: Yeah, and I think the point is that St. Louis is trying to create some salary cap flexibility there. I’m told that one of the teams that has inquired with the Blues in recent days about Colton Parayko is the Ottawa Senators. It’s probably no shock there, also considering the Senators were on the lookout for a difference maker on defense.
A right-handed defenseman in Colton Parayko who is in the first year of that eight-year, $6.5 million contract. He’s got the height at 6’6, I think his game had gone badly over the last two years. In terms of his productivity and his impact on the ice for the Blues.
And if they’re looking to dent their blueline and create some of that cap flexibility, Parayko has some value. I’m told what the Blues are looking for in exchange for Parayko is a young defender under the control of the team with a more reasonable salary cap. Think about some of the young players the Senators have had inside and outside their blue line over the past few years. The prospects they guided through the pipeline, someone closer to the NHL ready than the Blues could fit into their roster. And not experiencing a significant drop between Parayko and the next guy.
This is really where it gets difficult for some of these teams. They say we really like the growth we’re seeing in some of our young defenders. To then take that out and add a player like Parayko, who is 29 and, as I mentioned, is in the first year of this deal that goes up to 37. This can be a somewhat difficult proposition to make. If you’re the Senators and you’re finally trying to move in the right direction, getting some real stability from Parayko could go a long way in getting you there.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Jacob Bernard-Docker, Lassi Thomson are just a few right-handed defensemen the Sens have used first-round picks on in recent memory. This may be a direction the Blues are looking to take. But I just look at this and I keep thinking, if you’re a team with good young right-handed defenders, do you want to give that up to get 29-year-old Colton Parayko?
He still has eight years on a deal. Do you want to be stuck paying for 36 years, 37 seasons of Colton Parayko at $6.5 million? I have a feeling this contract might be more of a deal breaker than some people realize, Frank.
Frank Seravalli: That’s why the demand, I think, isn’t too much, in the sense that they’re not looking for a Jake Sanderson type player in return, he’s one of those lowercase guys. The value of this deal is not the coin you get back to St. Louis, it’s what you leave to Colton Parayko. And so, is there a fit there?
I think the Blues have recognized exactly that, that maybe this contract will end up being onerous. We know that tall people this size don’t always tend to age well. So maybe that’s one of the things the Blues are considering as they try to restart.
It’s an exciting team because they’re not trying to make the playoffs, they actually have a better chance in the 5% lottery for Connor Bedard. It has become much more interesting in Saint-Louis, they are not trying to rebuild.
You can watch the rest of the episode here…
