Bob McKenzie of TSN: The Complications of the Avalanche trading Ryan O’Reilly.
The Avalanche have quietly targeted a few specific teams about O’Reilly. The Sabres and Maple Leafs have been in the rumors, but confirmation on it has been hard to get. The Maple Leafs and Avalanche have had talks about O’Reilly, but nothing recently. Getting a defenseman back in a deal is a prerequisite.
If they get the right offer, they could move him before the March 2nd trade deadline, but it’s not certain that it will happen. It could happen in the summer, or not at all.
O’Reilly has a year left on his deal with a $6.2 million cap hit and $6 million salary. He’ll be a 25 years old, a UFA after next season and could therefore walk.
What if the Sabres gave up Tyler Myers for O’Reilly and then weren’t able to re-sign him next year? If may be in the Avs best interest to allow O’Reilly’s camp to talk to certain teams to ensure they can get the maximum return. But, this may then give O’Reilly undue influence on a potential trade.
There is also the contract issues that have surrounded O’Reilly for years and what he might expect on a new deal.
“You know what all of that tells me?” an NHL management-type told me yesterday. “One, (O’Reilly) will expect and is quite likely to get between $6.5 million and $7.5 million, if not more, per year on a long-term deal.
“Two, if you’re trading for him now and giving up what Colorado expects to get, you better know you have (O’Reilly) signed to that extension.”
The Avs don’t have to trade him, and can fit his cap number in. It is thought that if they don’t trade him at the deadline, they will move him in the offseason.
A Ryan O’Reilly for Tyler Myers would be close to a perfect fit for both teams. Myers has four years left on his deal with a cap hit of $5.5 million and is a right handed shot. Some NHL GMs and assist GMs agreed that one-for-one swap would work out fine for both sides. One ‘management type’ thought the Sabres would need to include a pick, while another said that since O’Reilly is a UFA at the end of next season, the Avalanche would have to include something else.