The reasons why several teams would like to trade for center Ryan O’Reilly are the same reasons why the Nashville Predators want to keep him.
The league’s top general managers look at O’Reilly and see a veteran two-way center who can score 20-plus goals, relentlessly check top scorers, win a defensive zone faceoff and keep everyone calm when a storm is brewing. He’s also won a Stanley Cup in 2019 and became the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1985 to score a goal in four consecutive Stanley Cup Final games.
The problem for would be suitors, those who think that O’Reilly could help them in a variety of ways is that Nashville general manager Barry Trotz sees those qualities and more.
Trotz knows how much O’Reilly’s teammates respect him and how much younger players value his counsel. What makes O’Reilly special in that regard is that O’Reilly doesn’t need to be at the top of his own game to know what to say to those around him.
He compartmentalizes his role as a player and his duties as leader. In periods when the puck isn’t going in for him, he still knows what to say to others. Not every player can do that. Some are unapproachable when they are struggling, but that isn’t O’Reilly. From the time he arrived in Nashville, everyone has appreciated his loyalty to the team concept.
At the start of the season when compiling a list of players who might be moved at the NHL trade deadline, I was told the Predators likely would keep him unless he really wanted to move.
Earlier this week, I was told that’s still true today.
O’Reilly doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but the Predators respect him to the point that they will treat him as if does have one. What I’m told is that O’Reilly likes the organization, his teammates and his role. More importantly, his family enjoys living in Music City.
Right now, he wants to stay and be involved in guiding the Predators toward the right path.
Could he change his mind? Of course that could happen. GMs who believe they can win, will ask to speak to him. They wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't do that.
Would guess the Carolina Hurricanes would want to talk to him about becoming the team’s No. 2 center. He might be the missing piece this team needs to make an extended run. At 34, he is still quite effective.
Perhaps that challenge might appeal to him, or maybe he would be enticed to be Patrick Kane’s center in Detroit. An Alex DeBrincat-O’Reilly-Kane line would be formidable. Maybe he could see himself finishing up his career trying to help the Red Wings regain their championship pedigree?
There are other teams interested as well, including the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils and even the Colorado Avalanche. That’s where he started his NHL career. The line of suitors is long.
The bottom line is that we don’t know which of these teams, if any, could tempt O’Reilly to leave a team he really appreciates. But we know for sure is that there is a reasonable chance that he will stay in Nashville.
The other fact we know is that if O’Reilly opts to leave, the Predators will expect a first round pick, an enticing prospect and secondary draft pick. And they will get that in return for O'Reilly