He’s the real asset with potential. This move led to the next negative turn in their relationship. Also has a bit of a shooter’s mentality, which we like,” said Botterill. Berglund. Buffalo ended up not using the pick they acquired for McGinn, and Grigorenko is headed back to Russia. Added together, Berglund and Sobotka’s average production over the last five years, roughly equals that of O’Reilly. In his nine-year career, he has 155 goals and 267 assists for 422 points in 651 regular season games. In 2015-16, O’Reilly was selected to the NHL All-Star Game before finishing the year with a career-best 39 assists and 60 points. O’Reilly was the highest paid player on a Sabres team that finished dead last in the league. *Conditions: If St. Louis' 2019 1st round pick ends up being a top 10 pick, the Blues have the option to keep the 2019 1st round pick and send Buffalo their 2020 1st round pick instead. For the Sabres, they got two legitimate NHL players and one who could fill out their top six and take on a leadership role. Last Five Year Average: 0.39 points per game (32 points per 82 games). By Kevin Goff August 19th, 2017. eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'thehockeywriters_com-box-3','ezslot_7',652,'0','0'])); Once this happens, this trade still looks pretty good for both teams. They got both of these things and it will be up to them to develop those younger players into contributing NHLers. This move led to the next negative turn in their relationship, Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Lehtonen, Korshkov, Simmonds & More, 3 Players the Capitals Could Lose in Kraken Expansion Draft, Senators’ Loaned Prospects Doing Well in Europe, Sabres News & Rumors: Ruotsalainen, Luukkonen, Quinn & More, Blue Jackets’ Defensive Depth Has Questions to Answer, All He Does is Win: Mikhail Sergachev Adds Stanley Cup to Resume, Flyers’ Provorov Poised For Breakout Season, 100 Years Later: Remembering the 1920 Senators-Metropolitans Stanley Cup Final, NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Stars, Predators, Islanders, More. After less than 24 hours, it was already apparent that there would be almost no way to determine the full outcome of this trade anytime soon. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. While returning to Russia seems unlikely, he was the cornerstone piece of this trade for the Avs and they have to do what it takes to get him signed. ( Log Out /  Though people are trying to make a big deal about the fact that Grigorenko is no longer in Colorado, the reality is that the Avs needed two things from that deal. O’Reilly’s exit interview with media at locker cleanout day in Buffalo was filled with honest, hard-to-hear words. We think he can step into our lineup & grow with our young centermen. I knew if Ryan was coming back, he was certainly going to be a big part of changing things here in Buffalo,” said Botterill. Little did we know that it would get an even bigger boost this summer as Ryan O’Reilly was dealt for a big package of players and picks. The Ryan O’Reilly trade is a deal that is looked at through many different lenses. Many Sabres fans want to win now and are skeptical of Jason Botterill’s path forward — one that could have the team suffer another year or two. Compher, Mikhail Grigorenko, and the Sabres’ second-round pick. From this trade, an impressive little tree began to sprout for the Avalanche. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports), Contract: Two years remaining at $3.5 million per year 2nd 2021. Others see it as a necessary move that brought back an impressive haul of future prospects for the situation in which the team found itself. Sakic was recently quoted saying that the two sides have agreed on the term of the contract, just not the salary. Contract: Five years remaining at $7.5 million per year Stats Last Season: 24 goals, 37 assists in 81 games Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over the course of the year, I’ve lost myself a lot, where it’s just kind of get through, just being OK with just not making a mistake. As is the case with most big trades, this wasn’t the end of the overall deal. While it isn’t ideal for either team, neither of these two players was the reason the trade was made in the first place. The end product of this trade essentially boils down to O’Reilly and McGinn for Zadorov, Grigorenko, Compher, Greer, Morrison, and Smirnov.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'thehockeywriters_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_0',665,'0','0'])); A favorite pastime of discussing trades is looking at them and assigning a winner and a loser. They are viewed as two slow players who are past their prime. They needed a young, potential stud defenseman, and a lot of draft picks. They give the Sabres much-needed veteran depth and a blue-chip prospect who will bring positional competition. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. In 2013-14, he logged a career-high 64 points while only serving two penalty minutes, earning the 2014 Lady Byng Trophy. “We just felt comfortable at this time with what St. Louis was offering.”, Botterill is in his second season as GM of the Sabres. The Trade Pieces Ryan O’Reilly. Tage Thompson and the pair of picks the Sabres acquired give the team a trio of solid assets to build with and all three could one day contribute to future growth of the trade tree below. Change ). Sakic sent Buffalo’s pick to San Jose before the start of the second round of the 2015 draft, acquiring San Jose’s second-round pick in 2015, as well as a second and sixth-round pick in 2016 and 2017. By Jeff Seide July 2nd, 2018. Sobotka, 30, is a nine-year NHL-veteran forward. O’Reilly, 27, is still in his prime. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. He was brought in to be a contributing player on a young team. He obviously was in a troubled mindset that did not positively affect the team. Ask an arbitrator and they’ll tell you that when both sides of a deal think they made out like bandits, it’s usually a fair and even outcome. After his rookie contract, O’Reilly and the Colorado Avalanche hit their first of what would be many snags, as he opted to stay in Russia until he got a contract offer he liked. As far as stories go, the way the O’Reilly trade progressed was a pretty dramatic one. Related: Botterill Slams Door on Sabres’ Season – Now What? Colorado, however, used each additional draft pick they acquired to bolster their prospect pool. The tricky part with this offer sheet was that the second year of the contract was substantially higher than the first, meaning that Colorado would have to qualify him at a much higher number the next time his contract came up. The Sabres got better right away and the Avs were hoping this would lay an excellent foundation for the future. He did not say it was the reason for moving him, rather that O’Reilly, 27, was outside the Sabres’ core of 18-23 year old players. Rick Martin Trade Tree Sprouts Another Branch after O’Reilly Trade, Concepts for the Sabres "Reverse Retro" Jersey, Last game of the year, can't hold anything back now, Two in the Mailbox - Best Pads Ever and Sabres Scouts, Concepts for the Sabres “Reverse Retro” Jersey, The Instigator Podcast 9.39 – Offseason Update with Joe Yerdon, Sabres Have Options for Upgrades in Rich Goalie Market, The Instigator Podcast 9.38 – Draft Round Table Featuring Expected Buffalo, Two in the Mailbox – Trade Targets, Goalie Wishlist and More, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. “We’re stuck in this mindset of just being OK with losing,” he said. GM Jason Botterill on trade with Blues: "We felt we had to change the dynamic.. We liked the balance of this move." If Botterill was going to follow through with his ‘change the culture’ talk, he had to make a bold move. The Blues didn’t lose a single impact player from their roster (initially rumored to be Colton Parayko) and top center prospect Robert Thomas in return for O’Reilly, one of the top 30-40 centers in the league. The Rick Martin trade tree’s life got a big boost when Evander Kane was dealt for a pair of draft picks at the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline. Otherwise the terms and structure of the deal might have looked quite different. Related: Sabres Roster Won’t Be Easy to Overhaul. Armchair general managers on both sides are having a field day with the trade that was consummated Sunday night between the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues. The Sabres traded Jamie McGinn to Anaheim for a conditional pick which ended up being a third-rounder. The Buffalo Sabres are looking to do something to change up the culture in the locker room, and speculation has swirled around Ryan O’Reilly after his season-ending comments. After three years of constant losing with the Sabres, he admitted it had worn him down. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers). The Czech native is 5-foot-10, 184-pounds. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix. Botterill Slams Door on Sabres’ Season – Now What? Last Five Year Average: 0.76 points per game (62 points per 82 games). Before that, he played two seasons at UConn and led the NCAA in power play goals (13) in 2015-16.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'thehockeywriters_com-leader-2','ezslot_10',670,'0','0'])); Many Blues fans are psyched to add the league’s top faceoff man in O’Reilly and arguably one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. St. Louis didn’t have to give up prime prospects in 20-year-old forward Jordan Kyrou or 18-year-old center Robert Thomas. Ryan O’Reilly with the Avalanche (Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports). He’s a young veteran that is going through the prime of his career and will be helping to push Buffalo back into the playoff picture. Previous Sabres GM Tim Murray went hard for players like O’Reilly and Kane, spending capital excessively. That is a major return for the Sabres. Thompson could be the crucial piece of the deal. Ryan O’Reilly with the Sabres (Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports). The Phoenix, Arizona native also posted 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) in 30 regular season games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) San Antonio Rampage. Related: Sabres’ O’Reilly Deserves Respect, Not Accusationseval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'thehockeywriters_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_0',665,'0','0'])); Contract: Four years remaining at $3.85 million per year (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers). Latest On Ryan O’Reilly’s Trade Value. the trade that was consummated Sunday night, Sabres’ O’Reilly Deserves Respect, Not Accusations. pic.twitter.com/dJUb89yZgc, — Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 2, 2018. “He needs to add a little more beef to his 6-foot-5 frame. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Sometimes it’s pretty obvious, but in cases like this, where there are so many future pieces involved, it’s hard to do no matter how much people try. The Avs selected A.J. Both teams lost a complementary piece for nothing. It’s one step backward today for two steps forward tomorrow. Selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round (No. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'thehockeywriters_com-leader-2','ezslot_10',657,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'thehockeywriters_com-leader-2','ezslot_11',657,'0','1']));Buffalo did a little to extend its part of the trade tree, but it didn’t last long.