ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 \u201cWhat\u2019s up? Elephant in the room, or what?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko asked The Athletic when he emerged from the locker room after practice at the Honda Center Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Yes, the elephant in the room, a reference to Parayko\u2019s decision Thursday to invoke his no-trade clause<\/a> and turn down a deal that would\u2019ve seen the end of an 11-year run in St. Louis and the start of a new one in Buffalo.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a crazy day!\u201d Parayko said. \u201cI had over 100 text messages like that.\u201d<\/p>\n To comprehend what the 6-foot-6, 228-pound Alberta native was feeling two days before the NHL trade deadline<\/a>, you first need some context about his personality. He\u2019s soft-spoken, unassuming and has a reputation that\u2019s cleaner than the glass at Enterprise Center just before puck-drop.<\/p>\n Last week, however, he was the focus of the hockey world. And not by his own doing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a slow news day because nothing much had happened, so it took on a life of its own,\u201d said Gerry Johannson, Parayko\u2019s agent.<\/p>\n Parayko wasn\u2019t the first NHL player to have two fan bases wondering if he\u2019d waive a full no-trade clause, not even this month. The Vancouver Canucks\u2019 Tyler Myers and Calgary Flames\u2019 MacKenzie Weegar faced the same situation, and there wasn\u2019t nearly as much attention.<\/p>\n Whether it was the initial report on X or the immediate reaction within the Blues\u2019 organization to leaked information<\/a>, this one played out differently.<\/p>\n A day after Parayko informed general manager Doug Armstrong of his decision to stay put, Parayko provided behind-the-scenes details of the process that took place during the frantic 24-hour period.<\/p>\n The missed meeting<\/p>\n A week before Friday\u2019s trade deadline, The Athletic reported<\/a> that Armstrong reached out via text to several Blues players who possessed some form of trade protection. He wanted them to attend a meeting where he could make them aware that they may be asked to waive their no-trade clauses.<\/p>\n Parayko was unable to go because he was returning from the Olympics and needed treatment for his nagging back spasms.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Maybe I should reach out to Doug,\u2019\u201d Johannson said. \u201cThat led to about 800 conversations with Colton to see if it was OK if I called Doug. He was like, \u2018Do you think you should?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018I\u2019ve known him for 30 years, I\u2019ll call him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n So Parayko\u2019s camp was aware of the Blues\u2019 situation, but the 32-year-old veteran wasn\u2019t planning to be part of the purge.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess the best way to put it: You don\u2019t want to think like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tuesday, the Blues boarded an early-afternoon flight to Seattle, then checked in at the Four Seasons Hotel on 99 Union Street.<\/p>\n Armstrong didn\u2019t accompany the club on the first stop of its three-game road trip, instead going with his staff straight to San Jose, Calif., the second stop, to get set up for the trade deadline.<\/p>\n Wednesday morning, the Blues took an eight-minute bus ride from the hotel to Climate Pledge Arena for its morning skate. Parayko wasn\u2019t playing because of his injury, but he went to the rink.<\/p>\n A deal with the Sabres<\/p>\n Johannson was at lunch when he got a call from Armstrong, alerting him to a potential trade with Buffalo involving Parayko. After they hung up, Armstrong sent a text to Parayko, asking him to call.<\/p>\n \u201cHe told me about the trade,\u201d Parayko recalled. \u201cHe said, \u2018This is where we\u2019re at, and that\u2019s kind of it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Parayko had been part of trade rumors in the past, but \u201cnow it was real, it was a thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Parayko phoned Johannson immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially, it\u2019s a little bit of shock, but he was engaged,\u201d Johannson said. \u201cHe was like, \u2018What do you think Gerry?\u2019 I said, \u2018Let me walk you through it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n They talked about Buffalo being \u201ca legit team, and their D corps maybe being the best in the NHL,\u201d Johannson said. Parayko seemed interested, but his agent told him that was his adrenaline talking.<\/p>\n That was the first of what Johannson estimated were 50 phone calls between the two.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear to God, I talked to Colton 50 times \u2014 50!\u201d Johannson says.<\/p>\n Parayko also talked to Sabres GM Jarmo Kek\u00e4l\u00e4inen, the Blues\u2019 longtime director of amateur scouting who left the organization in 2010, two years before the defenseman was drafted.<\/p>\n \u201cI talked to a few people in the organization, and I only heard good things,\u201d Parayko said.<\/p>\n Then, in a blink, a social media post from TSN\u2019s Darren Dreger with a time stamp of 3:31 p.m. CT Wednesday broke news of the trade.<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed Parayko to Buffalo is going to happen. Things are being finalized. Player needs to approve, etc.<\/p>\n