Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn were back at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday morning, their first appearance since the Avalanche traded them to the Buffalo Sabres on June 26 in a five-player swap.
The teams meet Wednesday night in an intriguing matchup.
Mikhail Grigorenko, a healthy scratch the past three games, will be in the Avalanche lineup along with Nikita Zadorov. Colorado also received the rights to University of Michigan forward J.T. Compher and a second-round pick in last summer's draft.
"It's weird, for sure, just being in the building, on the other side of things," O'Reilly said. "It's definitely weird. I'm excited, though. Our team's playing well, the Avs are playing well too. (They're in) the toughest division in hockey and in a playoff spot right now, so it's going to be a tough game."
O'Reilly won't be surprised if he receives a chilly reception from the fans. A terrific two-way forward, he was popular in Denver, but people tired of his frequent contract squabbles.
The Avalanche made the trade when they weren't able to reach an agreement with him on a contract extension after last season. O'Reilly would have been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and the Avalanche weren't about to lose him without getting something in return, which was the case when Paul Stastny left two years ago. O'Reilly subsequently signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract with the Sabres that kicks in next season.
"I know it'll be something, I might get booed or something like that," O'Reilly said. "It's not something I can control, right? It was a unique situation, the business side of things. It's unfortunate it got in the way of our relationship. I loved playing here. I loved the guys over there. I was treated with respect and class here and it just didn't work out in the end. I'm happy in Buffalo, I'm happy where I am now and just trying to focus on winning the game."
The Avalanche often cited their salary "structure" while discussing O'Reilly's apparent salary demands. Matt Duchene, who is signed through 2018-19, is the team's highest-paid player with a cap hit of $6 million. They still need to re-sign Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon, who are eligible to become restricted free agents after this season.
"It's a unique situation," said O'Reilly, who is centering a line with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart. "Obviously, they have a structure and (his demands) just didn't fit in. That happens in sports; it happens all the time. I think it was time for a change. I wanted a little more responsibility. I'm happy and thankful what the Avalanche did for me. It was nothing but first class."
O'Reilly, who makes $6 million this season, will have an annual cap hit of $7.5 million when his new deal begins; it runs through 2020-21.
"It's amazing what it feels like to know that I'm going to be there for a long time and be seen as one of those guys that has to be a leader and help carry the torch," he said. "It's definitely a relief when I can just focus on playing hockey."
Did O'Reilly expect to be traded?
"Over the summer, once I saw we weren't close, I kind of knew it was coming," he said. "It was a sad day to find out I was going to be moved, but it's been a great move. Buffalo's been outstanding. We're not where we want to be right now (in the standings), but we're climbing back into the race. It's a great city and I'm lucky to have played in two places like this."
O'Reilly and McGinn, who missed most of last season because of a back injury and eventual surgery, are playing well for the Sabres (19-23-4), who have won four of their past five games. O'Reilly has 17 goals and 22 assists in 46 games, while McGinn has 10 goals and 11 assists in 46 games. McGinn is playing right wing with Philip Varone and first-round pick Jack Eichel.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," McGinn said. "I'm looking forward to it. I've done this before with a team, so I don't think I'm as nervous as Ryan. But once you get out there, the jitters go away and it's just another hockey game."
McGinn said his back is healthy again after he was limited to 19 games a season ago.
"I feel good, I feel strong, I'm trying to get better each game," he said. "Each practice I work on some things. I've been happy so far (with) the health this year. I'm here to prove (the Avalanche) wrong. I feel strong, I feel I can play a long time in this league."
O'Reilly and McGinn had dinner Tuesday with several Avalanche players, including Barrie, MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. MacKinnon is leasing the Denver area home that O'Reilly rented while with the Avalanche.
"It's always nice catching up, seeing how things are going," O'Reilly said. "It's definitely a great group of guys that I miss." Said MacKinnon, who picked up the dinner tab: "It's going to be different, it's always weird playing against ex-teammates, and friends especially. We'll take care of business, both trying to get the win, and we'll save the friendship for after the game and before the game."
*****
And what does Duchene think of this first game since the trade?
"Obviously every guy in that trade, it's a special game for them," he said. "You know those guys on that side are going to be playing hard and our guys on this side are going to be playing hard."
As for facing off against O'Reilly: "We had some good times together. 'Factor' and I came in the same year, so this is our first year not being teammates, so it will probably be a little weird. We'll probably play some shifts against each other. I have lots of friends around the league and it's no different.
"Maybe (it will be) a little bit more competitive one-on-one. You want to come out on top. I think that's the case any time you play a buddy of yours."
***** Zadorov and Grigorenko are also excited about playing against their ex-teammates.
Zadorov began the season with the Avalanche, had two assists in 11 games, and was assigned to San Antonio on Nov. 7. He was recalled Jan. 13 and will play his fourth game since while paired with Francois Beauchemin.
"I have a couple good friends over there and it's going to be great competition tonight," he said. "I'm just going to step up and play my game and show my best game and you guys are going to make the decision whether (the trade) was a mistake or not. It was a great experience over there and now it's a new step in here.
"I'm pretty sure it's going to be strange because I never did it before (playing against former teammates), but I think it's just a hockey game. You go on the ice and you work a hundred percent. I think I'm doing pretty good, but I'm still working on some things and hopefully I'm going to be better tonight." Grigorenko will replace Chris Wagner on a line with Andreas Martinsen and Jarome Iginla after being a healthy scratch for the past three games. He has two goals and 10 assists in 40 games.
"I'm really excited and really happy the coaches put me in," he said. "Hopefully I'll make the most of this and play well. You want to show them you can play hockey, especially against Buffalo, the team that drafted me and I started my career there. Now it's a new chapter and you always want to play good against your former team.
"It was a good three years there and I learned a lot of things. It was a good experience. It's the team I played my first NHL game for and I'll always remember it."
Semyon Varlamov will be in goal for the Avalanche, Robin Lehner for the Sabres.
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Alex Tanguay - Nathan MacKinnon - Matt Duchene Gabriel Landeskog - Carl Soderberg - Blake Comeau Andreas Martinsen - Mikhail Grigorenko - Jarome Iginla Cody McLeod - John Mitchell - Jack Skille
DEFENSE Francois Beauchemin - Nikita Zadorov Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie Zach Redmond - Chris Bigras
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Calvin Pickard