According to sports journalist Luke Fox, Ryan O’Reilly, the talented center acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this season, has expressed his desire to re-sign with the team during the upcoming off-season. The trade that brought O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs was a complex one, involving the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild.
In the trade, the Blues sent O’Reilly and Noel Acciari to Toronto in exchange for forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, a 2023 first-round draft pick, a 2023 third-round draft pick, and a 2024 second-round draft pick. To make the deal work within Toronto’s tight salary cap constraints, both the Blues and the Wild retained 50% of O’Reilly’s $7.5 million cap hit, leaving the Leafs responsible for just $3,750,000.
O’Reilly’s time with the Maple Leafs has been somewhat limited thus far, as a broken finger kept him sidelined for several games. Nevertheless, in the 13 games he has played, O’Reilly has contributed four goals and seven assists, totaling 11 points. His performance in the playoffs is particularly noteworthy, with a career record of 64 appearances, 22 goals, and 34 assists, resulting in 56 points.
During the 2018-2019 season, O’Reilly played a pivotal role in leading the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup victory and was awarded the prestigious Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. With his proven playoff prowess and recent production with the Maple Leafs, it is no surprise that both O’Reilly and the team may be interested in extending their partnership beyond this season.
The Maple Leafs face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL playoffs. We will see what kind of impact O’Reilly has in the post-season. It seems like O’Reilly would be willing to sign a team friendly deal to stay with the Maple Leafs, but we will see what happens. Ryan O’Reilly Toronto Maple Leafs
