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ROR Of The Crowd

June 19, 2018, 12:26 PM ET [17 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News tracked down Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill on Tuesday morning. Harrington asked Botterill about the NHL-wide interest being shown in one of his best players, Ryan O'Reilly.

As Botterill, his AGM Steve Greeley and his scouts prepare to head to Dallas for the NHL Draft, interest continues to be high regarding O'reilly.

No. Botterill is NOT trying to trade the best faceoff man in the NHL from 2017-18. Botterill is simply answering his phone each time it rings. Understandably, many of the inbound inquiries are centered on the Buffalo pivot.


"To be honest, the interest in Ryan is not surprising at all. Ryan is one of our better players," Botterill told The Buffalo News. "He had another successful World Championship even though Team Canada was disappointed that they didn't come away with the medal. But he played a very big role for Canada again.

"Look, when I'm having discussions with other teams or other teams call me, they're not looking for some of our players who are struggling. They're looking to improve with our talented players."


O'Reilly doesn't want to leave Buffalo. To the contrary. The guy hates losing. He said as mush on locker cleanout day in April. O'reilly believes he and his Sabres teammates can be winners this season. In May, he told TSN while at the IIHF Worlds in Denmark that he cannot wait to see Rasmus Dahlin play in a Sabres sweater.


O'Reilly loves playing in Buffalo. He respects, appreciates and relishes playing his current Sabres teammates. He's become a big supporter of the Buffalo community. His son was born in Buffalo. He's literally 90 minutes away from his Mom and Dad in his hometown in Canada.


O'Reilly is in Las Vegas for Wednesday night's NHL Awards Show. He's one of three finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

O’Reilly led the NHL and set a career high with a faceoff win percentage of 60.0%. It was the best season by a Sabres center since the NHL began publishing FO% in 1997-98:

Ryan O’Reilly – 60.0% (2017-18)
Paul Gaustad – 59.8% (2010-11)
Chris Gratton – 58.9% (2002-03)
Chris Drury – 58.8% (2006-07)
Ryan O’Reilly – 58.0% (2016-17)

O’Reilly also led the NHL in faceoffs won, edging out Rod Brind’Amour (1,268 in 2005-06) to set an NHL record for the most by any NHL player in a season. His 954 wins at even strength shattered the previous single-season record (Brind’Amour, 870 in 2001-02).

ROR's 29 faceoff wins on February 11 vs. Colorado set a single-game franchise record and tied as the sixth most wins by a player since the league began tracking faceoff stats in the 1997-98 season.

O’Reilly became just the third player ever to win at least 1,000 faceoffs in a season while maintaining a faceoff percentage of at least 59 percent, joining Brind’Amour (five times) and Patrice Bergeron (two times).


O'Reilly scored 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points this season. He scored 15 15 PPG and skated 20:49 TOI. He scored 20 goals and 35 assists in 72 games in 2016-17 and 21 goals, 39 assists in 71 games in 2015-16.

O'reilly has potted 31 power play goals in the past three seasons.


What's more, O'Reilly has scored 176 points (65G, 111A) in his 224 games in a Sabres sweater. That's a very repsectable .79 points per game. In that same three year window, Jack Eichel has scored 177 points in 209 games (.85 points per game).



O'Reilly is pretty good at the hockey.


Guys like O'Reilly don't grow on trees. When you get them either through drafting or via trade, you hold on to them and value them. You don't give them away.



"Just look at the roles Ryan has played the last couple years, all the faceoffs he took and the responsibility he had," Botterill said. "We know he's a player with a very good reputation around the league."


Botterill better bring two iPhone chargers with him to Dallas.

"It's always a busy week with teams communicating," he said. "It's hard to know if trades will get completed here but we find they at least get set in motion. We saw last year with the trade for Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville, it was not at the draft but it was set up at the draft. That's often how they worked."


I've said it for years and I'll say it again:


Ryan O'Reilly is a keeper.




**


Doug Wilson was a wonderful NHL defenseman. In his post-NHL playing career, Wilson has proven himself to be one one of the top echelon general managers in the NHL.

Having just lost to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights teaam in the Western Conference Finals, Wilson is sliding all of his chips to the middle of the table in an attempt to win the 2019 Stanley Cup.

On Tuesday morning, Wilson shocked the hockey world but making not one, but two trades that now set him up for current and future success.

The first trade saw Wilson trade forward Mikkel Boedker, defenseman Julius Bergman and his 6th rounder in 2020 to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for controversial forward Mike Hoffman, a 5th round selection in 2020, and defenseman Cody Donaghey.





Before his morning oatmeal and coffee got cold, Wilson then shipped the embattled Hoffman to the Florida Panthers for more assets.

Wilson traded Hoffman and a 2018 7th rounder to the Cats in exchange for a 2019 second rounder, a 2018 fourth rounder, and a 2015 fifth rounder.





By lunch time, Wilson filled his shopping cart with a 2019 second round pick, a 2018 fourth round pick, a 2018 fifth round pick, and a 2020 fifth round pick, plus, defenseman Cody Donaghey in two separate trades with the Sens and Cats.

By day trading days before the NHL Draft in Dallas, Wilson created $4 million salary cap spac e while subtracting $6 million in hard salary. Plus he added four draft picks while subtracting two picks.

What will Wilson do with his savings?

Well, he now can rqualify and e-sign pending restricted free agents Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney and Dylan DeMelo.

Wilson can also get to work on long termn contract extensions for three veteran leaders in Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thorton. Couture, 29, has one season remaining at $6M AAV. Pavelski, 33, has one year remaining at $6M AAV. Thornton, 38, will become UFA on July 1.

All three vets want to stay and play for the Sharks for years to come.

Wilson can now get to work on long term extensions for Couture, Pavelski and Thornton.







**

If I'm Ottawa SEnators defenseman Erik Karlsson, I have my realtor on speed dial. I would sell my Ottawa residence in a hurry. The Senatorrs are about to strip it down to the studs so that they can have the driver's seat for 2019 fiuuirst overall NHL Draft pick Jack Hughes.



Sens GM Pierre Dorion seemingly has been instructed by his mercurial owner Eugene Melnyk to turn the ignition key on the tank.

I can't see why Karlsson would want to stay in Ottawa long term. Frankly, I was saying before the Karlsson-Hoffman kerfuffle that the slick Swede was heading to the west coast via trade.


I said it before and I'll say it again. When it is all said and done, Karlsson will end up in one of three western locales: San Jose, Los Angeles or Las Vegas.


Doug Wilson wants nothing more but to win the Stanley Cup. He just collected a ton of assets on Tuesday morning. A few weeks ago, Evander Kane was signed to a seven year, $49 million contract extension. Wilson wants more. He wants to add Karlsson to his already impressive D corps.

Wilson will have stiff competition in the Karlsson battle in the LA Kings. Karlsson's close friend Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Kings and he loves the beach life. Karlsson and Drew Doughty share the same agent. Doughty, 28, will be UFA on July 1, 2019. Perhaps Karlsson and Doughty can sign for similar term and dollars to keep them together in LA. Doughty is a $7M AAV this season. Karlsson, 28, is $6.5M AAV.


The Vegas Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals due to D-zone breakdowns and sloppy goaltending at the worst possible time. Knights GM George McPhee wanted to trade for Karlsson at the NHL trade deadline. A deal never could be finalized. Will McPhee shock the world and deliver another rockstar to the Vegas Strip?







**

If I’m forward Matt Duchene, I ask Dorion for a trade out of the yard sale that has become the Ottawa Senators. Duchene was traded to Ottawa last fall. At the time of the trade, the Sens were a team with the potential to return to the Stanley Cup Finals like they had in the spring of 2017.

So much dysfunction, no little time.
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