St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has exercised his no-movement clause to block a trade to the Buffalo Sabres, league sources confirmed to ESPN. The Sabres had reached an agreement with the Blues to acquire the 32-year-old defenseman, but only if he waived his contractual protection.

Parayko, in the fourth year of his eight-year, $32 million contract, recently represented Team Canada at the Olympics and was instrumental in St. Louis' 2019 Stanley Cup championship. His decision to stay puts the Sabres in a difficult position as they search for a right-shot defenseman before the NHL trade deadline.

The Sabres, currently second in the Atlantic Division, are desperate to end the NHL's longest active playoff drought at 14 years. They've been aggressive at the deadline, with new GM Jarmo Kekalainen engaging multiple teams after posting the league's best record since taking over in December.