Doug Armstrong denies Blues leaked Parayko trade, says he ordered check of staff’s phone records
SAN JOSE, Calif. — St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, the longest-tenured GM in the NHL, prides himself on being old school. He keeps details close to the vest, as anyone around the league would vouch.
So when a report surfaced on X on Wednesday from TSN’s Darren Dreger that the Blues had agreed to a deal to trade defenseman Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres, Armstrong was, as he described it Friday, “angry.”
Dreger reported that the deal still needed to be finalized, including getting Parayko’s approval as the 32-year-old possesses a full no-trade clause. He hadn’t yet agreed to waive — or not — his trade protection.
“Any time there’s a trade leak, I find it very disappointing,” Armstrong said Friday. “For the people that know me, we run a pretty tight ship as far as communication coming in and out. So I was disappointed it got out.”
So did the leak come from the Blues? Many assumed so, even accusing the team of trying to pressure Parayko into waiving by making it public.
But Armstrong is adamant that’s not what happened. In fact, he took an extreme measure to make certain it wasn’t.
While Parayko was in Seattle with the team on Wednesday night, still contemplating his decision, Armstrong ordered a thorough examination of his staff’s phone, text and email records.
“We did some due diligence as soon as that happened,” Armstrong said. “Everybody passed the test, not surprisingly. I know it didn’t come from us.”
What was Armstrong prepared to do if he learned that someone from the organization was involved in the leak?
“I was honest: When we checked the phone records and text records, I said, ‘If it’s out there, you’re losing your job!’” he said.
Armstrong wanted to be clear on Friday that he’s not pointing fingers at the Sabres, though.
“I’m not saying it was Buffalo, either,” he said. “There’s so many people involved in things that go on: family members, agents. It’s a never-ending cycle of people that get talked to.”
Armstrong was especially bothered by this leak because of the perception that the Blues were pressuring Parayko, he said.
If Parayko had waived, the club would be in line to receive a return package that included Sabres defensive prospect Radim Mrtka (the No. 9 pick in 2025) and a first-round pick.
“I would say the people that have worked with me for 20 years … if you think that would be me, then OK,” Armstrong said. “(But) I think my reputation is strong enough where the media and the people that I’ve worked with know that I would find no benefit in that.”
Armstrong said he’s aware that the NHL trade deadline attracts a lot of interest, but he’s finding the social media aspect of it to be more and more challenging.
“I understand that we promote this as a league, and it’s the way that we are,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’m getting desensitized to X and everything that’s out there.”
That this involved Parayko also made it especially difficult for Armstrong.
The Blues took the defenseman in the third round of the 2012 draft. He was a vital part of the Blues’ Stanley Cup in 2019 and has played all 11 seasons of his career in St. Louis.
“A guy I’ve grown up with. A guy that’s done so much,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think it’s fair to the person. The effect is really only on one person or a small group of people. I personally don’t like it. I don’t think it’s right. I wish we didn’t have to deal with it.”
Parayko eventually invoked his no-trade clause, nixing the deal to Buffalo, so he remains with the Blues.
