Ryan O’Reilly doesn’t want to leave the Blues
Anthony Scultore
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St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly wants to stay right where he is.
After a report surfaced on TSN’s Insider Trading from Darren Dreger that O’Reilly was “officially in play,” he’s tells Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Subscription Required) that contract talks have begun.
“Yeah, we’re starting to get a little dialogue going,” O’Reilly revealed. “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.”
Ryan O’Reilly wants to stay with Blues
O’Reilly has been with the Blues since being traded from the Buffalo Sabres in July of 2018. That following season was the best of his career as he recorded 77 points in 82 games. Of course, leading the Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup one year later was the real highlight as he registered 23 points in 26 postseason contests.
Now he hopes to avoid being traded again despite all the rumors which he’s labeled a distraction. O’Reilly also admitted to Rutherford that he’d be willing to give the team a discount to stay.
At this time, the rugged veteran is simply looking to get back to playing as he’s nursing a broken foot.
“You just have to be very careful with it, so we don’t have any resets on it. So I’m hoping to skate soon, but I don’t have a real timeline yet. We still have to get more images next week and hopefully get cleared to skate from there.”
Ryan O’Reilly via The Athletic (Subscription Required)
O’Reilly, 31, has 16 points in 37 matches this season. For his career, he’s amassed 688 points in 975 regular-season games.
The pending UFA will be a free agent in July. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are linked to the center if he indeed gets traded by the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3.
