Parayko Scrap Shows Why Maple Leafs Need to Acquire St. Louis Blues Duo No Matter the Cost

The main takeaway from last night's 4 Nation Face-Off tilt between Canada and the United States was the fiery start everyone wanted. It included 3 fights in the first 9 seconds, bringing everyone at the Bell Centre to their feet.

International games don't usually bring about fights, but the Tkachuk brothers saw fit to put an end to that. After Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel got things started, Brady Tkachuk followed with his fight against Sam Bennett, before Colton Parayko made it a hat-trick with J.T. Miller.

Parayko's fight might have gotten lost in all the fan-fare being thrown towards the Tkachuk brothers, but it reminded us of the many intangibles he possesses and that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be lucky to have him.

The Blues are an interesting team to follow ahead of the trade deadline. Brayden Schenn's name was recently thrown into the ring, but Elliotte Friedman added that it would take a substantial offer for the Blues to consider moving their captain.

Parayko is no stranger to the chopping block, but the Blues have always held a high asking price for the right-shot defenseman. He stands in at 6'6 and weighs in at about 230 pounds, he has 714 games of experience under his belt, has been coached by Craig Berube, can block shots, finish checks, and is very dependable defensively.

He's signed through 2030 with a cap hit of $6.5 million, which goes without saying is way more than the Maple Leafs can afford right now. However, his performance for Team Canada has shown that the lights aren't too bright for the 31-year-old and if the Leafs can get a packaged deal for both Schenn and Parayko, they could be in business come playoff-time.

Toronto has not been willing to move younger assets like Fraser Minten, Ben Danford, or Easton Cowan, and they're also hesitant about moving their 2026 1st round pick. However, if they're receiving two players that can fit their schemes and culture, while also bringing elements that the team is currently lacking in, they should seriously consider it.

Not to mention that both players would be signed through at least the 2027-28 season. It's going to cost an arm and a leg to be able to fit $13 million dollars on their books this year, which is where salary retention and a third party would have to get involved. The Leafs would also have to move pieces like Max Domi, Ryan Reaves and Calle Jarnkrok, unless a bigger ticket player landed on LTIR until the playoffs.

With the cap rising to $95.5 million, it would allow the Leafs to easily take on the rest of their contracts while also serving as consolation prizes in case they can't extend players like John Tavares and/or Mitch Marner this summer.