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Ryan O’Reilly would take a “team-friendly” deal to remain in St. Louis
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic: St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly is at least another week away from starting to skate. Darren Dreger reported the Blues have started to gauge interest in the 31-year-old pending UFA.
O’Reilly told The Athletic that an extension is also a possibility.
“Yeah, we’re starting to get a little dialogue going,” he said. “I think there will be some talks kind of going forward here, but yeah, there’s no timeline or such. That’s kind of all I can really give you on that.
“This is where I want to be. I hope I don’t get moved, but I think things will probably progress, especially with the deadline coming up and the talks with that. We’ll see how it goes. We’re starting to get into that.”
Teams will continue to call the Blues to see if a trade is possible. The rumors will continue till he’s re-signed or the deadline passes.
O’Reilly had been struggling before his foot injury with only 10 goals and six assists in 36 games.
He said that he would “absolutely” consider signing a “team-friendly” deal to remain with the Blues.
“So I’ve got to protect myself. I don’t know (contract) numbers and such. Obviously, the way we’re performing this year, the (salary) expectation will be much lower, but I still believe in myself, that I can be a very impactful player. I hope I’m here and we have success for many years to come.”
Could the Kings and Capitals come together on a deal?
Sammi Silber of Washington Hockey Now: Eric Duhatschek reported that the Washington Capitals would entertain offers on forward Lars Eller if they could get a defenseman back in the deal. They are thin on the blue line without John Carlsson who seems to be more month-to-month than week-to-week.
The Capitals also need to keep in mind that the majority of their free agents are defensemen. Eller is also a pending UFA and brings center depth to a bottom-six.
Duhatschek added that the Los Angeles Kings could be a fit and they could look to move a right-handed defenseman in Sean Walker or Matt Roy.
There will also be trade speculation surrounding Anthony Mantha who has been a healthy scratch of late.