Oilers Tabbed As Landing Spot for Blues Star Defenseman

The Edmonton Oilers made their move for a goaltender, and while Tristan Jarry is unfortunately already sidelined with an injury, it’s time they shift their focus to improving other parts of the roster ahead of the trade deadline.

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There are a few avenues they could explore. Adding a legitimate top-six forward, bolstering the bottom six with an impactful depth piece, or bringing in another steady defenseman to further solidify the blue line all make sense.

Which path general manager Stan Bowman chooses will largely depend on what’s available, but if the St. Louis Blues decide to open up shop, NHL insiders believe he should be making a call to Doug Armstrong about Colton Parayko.

Jeremy Rutherford and Chris Johnston of The Athletic recently examined the Blues’ trade landscape and listed the Oilers as one of two logical landing spots for Parayko should he become available.

Johnston wrote:

“Parayko’s contract should age like a fine wine in an environment where a surging salary cap sends player salaries skyrocketing. Provided his game doesn’t implode, it’s reasonable to expect him to remain a positive-value asset for the remainder of the deal. When you couple that with the fact Parayko’s been a steady contributor in St. Louis for more than a decade, it’s little wonder teams come calling. It’s going to be mighty difficult to get the Blues to part with him, though… What teams might be interested? Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers,”

The 32-year-old Parayko is in year four of the eight-year, $52 million extension he signed with the Blues back in 2021.

The Cost For the Oilers to Land Colton Parayko

As intriguing as Parayko would be for the Oilers, the biggest question is what it would take to bring him to Edmonton.

According to estimates from Rutherford and Johnston, the asking price would likely include a first-round pick, a mid-round pick, a prospect, and a roster player to help balance the salaries.

Edmonton doesn’t own its first-round pick this season, but it does have one in each of the next three drafts and is relatively well stocked when it comes to mid-round selections. Where things get more complicated is on the player and prospect side of the equation.

Andrew Mangiapane ($3.6 million AAV), Kasperi Kapanen ($1.3 million), and David Tomasek ($1.2 million) could all be used as throw-ins to offset salary. Meanwhile, Adam Henrique ($3 million) has a full no-movement clause and has declined to waive it before, though perhaps it’s worth another try given his struggles this season.

All in all, making a move to acquire Parayko is going to not only be expensive in terms of assets, but also difficult to piece his $6.5 million annual salary into the puzzle.

Next: Oilers Take “Drastic Measure” with Trent Frederic Over Holidays