Friedman: Maple Leafs top trade target is with Blues

With the National Hockey League Trade Deadline only weeks away now, there has been considerable attention directed toward the Toronto Maple Leafs and their 1st year general manager Brad Treliving on what they will do in order to try and build on last year's 1st postseason series win since 2004. 

And while most of the attention has been regarding a potential acquisition of a goaltender, one NHL Insider believes that a particular defenseman from the St. Louis Blues would be the perfect target. 

According to Elliotte Friedman while speaking on The Hockey Central pane on Sportsnet, Treliving needs to consider trading for Colton Parayko. 

"I don't even know if this is possible, but I"m going to say Colton Parayko," he said. "It's a right handed shot, a guy who has term left. Now remember, he has a no-trade clause, so he'd have control over it. But this is a fantasy hockey segment, so I'm going with a fantasy hockey scenario. That's the guy I'd be going with if I was Toronto." 

The Blues defenseman was originally selected 88th overall by the Blues in 2012, and was a key contributor in their 2019 Stanley Cup victory over Toronto's rival in the Boston Bruins during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. 

He's also in the midst of an eight year, $52 million contract that he signed in 2021, an AAV of $6.5 million. Needless to say, the Blues wouldn't be willing to part with a franchise cornerstone piece like Parayko for cheap; Toronto would have to pay a considerable price. 

But would it be worth it in the end? Right now, we're only 17 days away from the March 8 Trade Deadline, and these questions will soon be answered. 

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