According to Pierre LeBrun, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having discussions behind the scenes about whether they can pull off a trade for Ryan O’Reilly. There have been rumors the team is interested in the center out of St. Louis and with O’Reilly’s game picking up a bit over the past few weeks, it makes sense the Leafs might want to pick him up if the Blues are willing to dump the player.
Originally, it was believed that the Blues and O’Reilly might work out an extension. While that’s still possible, his struggles this season have changed the narrative on that scenario and more insiders are under the impression the Blues might move on. It will take some salary retention to get a deal done with most teams, and it certainly will in the case of the Maple Leafs, even though the team has some room to play with their current LTIR situation.
Pierre LeBrun has O’Reilly listed on his newly-published Trade List for The Athletic: O’Reilly comes in at No. 5 on the list. LeBrun writes:
Not that I think anything is imminent — we’re only in December — but my sense this week after talking to a few NHL teams is that they expect the Blues to listen on their pending-UFA captain in the new year. The Blues continue to play inconsistent hockey, and it’s not giving anyone confidence that the season will get back on track.
He then goes on to say that the Maple Leafs are in on this. He notes, “I think the Maple Leafs have talked about O’Reilly internally. Whether that leads to showing interest with the Blues in the new year, we shall see.” O’Reilly is a former Stanley Cup champion and playoff MVP from the 2018-19 season. He’s won a Conn Smythe Trophy and if he’s on, could be a difference-maker for any team he joins.
As for what the Leafs would have to give up, the Maple Leafs will definitely need to sweeten the deal to get him if the Blues retain salary. With the 2023 draft being considered fairly deep, if it costs a first-round pick, the Leafs may have to seriously consider it.
Next: Three Maple Leafs Takeaways from the 3-1 Loss to the Rangers
