What About Ryan O’Reilly As A Potential Avalanche Rental? (+)

Don’t worry, I can already hear you from here. This is clickbait, Dater. Get a clue, Dater. Fire away, I can take it. But hear me out too: I think there’s at least a Jim Carrey, “Dumb and Dumber’s” chance that Ryan O’Reilly could wind up with the Colorado Avalanche as a rental this season. Let’s look at the facts:

• The St. Louis Blues are currently in the midst of one of their worst losing streaks ever as a franchise, eight in a row. Reportedly, there have been some internal tensions in the locker room, especially toward $65 million man Jordan Kyrou.
• The Blues are going to have to do something about this. It’s still very early, of course, and counting out the St. Louis Blues too early has not been a very smart thing to do, judging by recent history. Everybody thought they were toast in early January, 2019, as the league’s worst team points-wise, and they went on to win a Stanley Cup that year. They were considered on the decline last year by many pundits, but put up a 109-point season and arguably gave the Avalanche their toughest time in the playoffs.
• But GM Doug Armstrong has some serious issues to consider. Namely, how long does he go with his current group before maybe pulling the plug and just starting a rebuild, and getting a bunch of good assets for veteran players on the last years of their contracts? Two of those players are Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly.
• O’Reilly is in the final year of a contract that carries a $7.5 million cap hit. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Does Armstrong extend a guy who will be 32 in February, who has only two points in his first 11 games, and is a minus-12? If Armstrong does extend him, it no doubt would not be cheap. He would have to pay a premium for O’Reilly’s UFA status. O’Reilly’s agent, Pat Morris, is one of the sport’s toughest negotiators – as we well remember when ROR played in Denver – and is not going to get one penny less for his client than the market says he’s worth.
• That $7.5 million cap hit would likely be very affordable for the Avalanche by the NHL trade deadline of March 3. I know, I know. That’s still nearly four months away. But by then, the Avalanche will have accrued more cap space to afford that.
• What would it cost in trade to get O’Reilly? I’m thinking a established player and a good prospect, and maybe a first-round pick. No lower than a second-rounder. Steep price, yes.
• But he could really be worth it. If we’re talking about the perfect second-line center (who might be available) to play behind Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O’Reilly could be it. I mean, he’s going to start playing better I’m sure. No, he’s not the fastest guy in the world, but the guy is as smart a player I’ve seen in recent memory. He’s a winner, a guy who loves big games and I think he’d be great on an Avalanche team for the stretch run and playoffs.
• I would bet the chances of a deal actually happening as very low. For one thing, these are two division opponents. Politically, Armstrong trading O’Reilly to the team that has knocked his own club out of the playoffs the last two years would not play well to the Blues fan base. Not at all.
• But this is a business. If the Avalanche can offer a nice package of stuff to the Blues, then Armstrong has to at least consider it.
• I am not seeing anywhere that O’Reilly has any no-move, no-trade clauses to his contract, which was originally signed when he was a Buffalo Sabre. So, if that’s the case, he wouldn’t be able to veto a trade to Colorado.
• Is the blood between O’Reilly and the Avalanche bad still, over all that drama from the contract stalemate in 2013 that led to his getting a bloated offer sheet from the Calgary Flames, which the Avalanche were forced to match?
• I know it was bad at the time. But has time soothed things? He was drafted by this team, after all, and had some real good times here. He also would be coming to a Cup contender. Can we realistically call the Blues that anymore? Not right now we can’t anyway.
• I think he still has a good relationship with captain Gabe Landeskog. Could he be something of a peacemaker between the sides?
• Whether the Avalanche seriously need an addition at 2C is something up for debate. What’s not up for debate is the fact that Ryan O’Reilly could be a very nice rental player for this team. And, who knows, maybe for more than that. He’s still one of the best faceoff men in the game – and in the game’s history, quite frankly – and he’s got a Conn Smythe Trophy in his closet too.

Stranger things have happened. What say you on this possibility, Avalanche fans?