If you ask his former head coach, Ryan O'Reilly wasn't much of a leader when he played in Denver.
Open mouth, insert goalie skate, eh Patrick Roy?
The Avs are better off without a the 200 Foot Terror.
Got it.
According to the Avs head coach his team only made the playoffs twice and never won a playoff round with O'Reilly on his bench.
The Avs are better off without The Factor.
Right.
Your nose is growing, Pat.
Sounds like Patty is bitter that Joe Sakic traded one of Roy's favorite player plus Jamie McGinn to Buffalo in exchange for Mike Grigorenko, Nikita Zadorov, JT Compher and the 31st overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Roy must hate it that he can't have O'Reilly in his lineup. Politically Correct Patrick Roy is lame. I'd love to hear Roy's real takes on O'Reilly when the microphones are turned off.
Which NHL head coach wants to lose a 58% faceoff man who plays 21 minutes TOI per game who has 17 goals and 38 points in 45 games?
O'Reilly had to leave Colorado due to years of contract consternation and tension in the room among his peers Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson and others.
The Avs were never going to pay ROR north of $6 million per,season after matching his two year, $10M offer sheet. ROR earned $6.5 in year two of the contract. Roy and Sakic didn't feel that ROR was worth that type of investment so out the door he went.
Roy and Sakic didn't feel that O'Reilly was worthy of earning $6+ million per season.
C'est la vie.
In Denver, ROR was just one of the guys in the room. In Buffalo, he is the alpha dog that is leading the rest of the pack. Though he o ly wears an "A" on his heart, O'Reilly is Buffalo's de facto captain. All due respect to Brian Gionta, ROR is the boss in Buffalo. He is the owner of the biggest contract in Sabres history at 7 years and $52.5 million. O'Reilly wants more responsibility and leadership in Buffalo than he ever did in Denver. Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray love O'Reilly for his on and off ice leadership.
Colorado's loss is Buffalo's gain.
ROR is more of a leader in Buffalo than he ever was in Denver. Perhaps it's a sign of his maturation as an NHLer and a human being. He was an 18 year old when he arrived as a rookie in the Avalanche lineup.
Fast forward to the 12:00 mark to hear Roy's bulletin board material pertaining to O'Reilly.
Thanks, 104.3 The Fan
Shame on the morning zoo honks for not challenging Roy's comments about O'Reilly.
The Avs have 49 points and hold the final Western wild card berth by one point. The Avs are only 6 points away from 15th place in the Western standings.