The Buffalo Sabres made shocking headlines on Wednesday when they agreed to trade a 1st round pick and 2025 9th overall pick Radim Mrtka in exchange for St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko. Darren Dreger was the first to report the trade.

That trade effectively took the Sabres off the table as a potential landing spot for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

While the trade certainly raised the floor for what the compensation for Ristolainen would look like, it took a legitimate suitor off the table for the Flyers. Or at least, so we thought.

One snag in the deal was that Parayko’s contract has a no-trade clause. First reported by Elliotte Friedman, the veteran defenseman DID NOT waive it, and will remain with the Blues for now.

Officially, Colton Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause to Buffalo — as is his contractual right.

We will see where we go from here

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2026

This means a few things for the Flyers’ trade market for Ristolainen. First of all, it puts Parayko back on the market. Per Frank Seravalli, Parayko is still open to being traded, just not to Buffalo.

I’m told #stlblues Colton Parayko is open to a trade to a different destination, and of course prefers to stay in St. Louis.

But not Buffalo – an outcome not all that different than Tyler Myers with Detroit.

Now, will another team pay the same price Buffalo put on the table?

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 5, 2026

However, with Parayko officially no longer an option for the Sabres, they will likely pivot back to Ristolainen, who they had previously shown interest in reuniting with.

There are big differences between the two contracts. Ristolainen has just one year remaining on his deal after this one, Parayko has three. As players, the two actually have very similar statlines through their careers, and even have similar points per game this season as well.

With that in mind, I doubt the package of Mrtka and a 1st will be on the table for Ristolainen, but if I were Flyers GM Danny Briere, I’d at least ask before drawing that conclusion. Nonetheless, I would still expect Buffalo to be aggressive in pursuit of an RHD after their failed attempt to land Parayko.

Once again, the Sabres are a team to watch for Rasmus Ristolainen.

Read More: Flyers Trade Rumors: A Surprise Eastern Conference Team Could be in the Mix for Ristolainen