18 February 2023 , 20:24
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Ryan O'Reilly from St Louis Blues, in one of their biggest trades in recent seasons.
O'Reilly joins a stacked offensive Leafs roster as part of a three-team trade within the NHL, with the Minnesota Wild also involved. O’Reilly, Noel Acciari and Josh Pillar are all heading to the Leafs, while Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette are on their way to St Louis.
The Blues will retain 50 per cent of O'Reilly's contract in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick. The Wild have acquired a 2025 fourth-round pick while retaining 25 per cent of O'Reilly's contract.
O'Reilly will wear his no.90 at the Leafs, and the centre joins the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylanders in a stacked offensive line. The Leafs have given up a lot of draft picks to secure the trade, but it shows their intentions moving forward this season, and for years to come.
The Leafs are in win-now mode and are looking extremely strong this season - although they've been here before. The Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division and only trail the Boston Bruins, who are charging towards the postseason.
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The Canadian side are desperate to end their Stanley Cup drought, a trophy they haven't lifted since 1967. But first, they'll want to overcome their curse in the first-round of the play-offs, a stage they haven't progressed from since 2004.
O'Reilly won the Stanley Cup back in 2019The Leafs are always in and around the conversation come the end of the regular season, but there's an edge to them this year that we haven't seen for some time. O'Reilly has been brought in to boost their chances, and build on their regular season success.
While a lot of draft capital has been sacrificed, not only do the Leafs now have a talented centre, they're only covering 25 per cent of his salary. O'Reilly was drafted 33rd overall back in 2009 as he joined the Colorado Avalanche's but later moved to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.
After three years in Buffalo, O'Reilly was traded to the Blues amid reports he had fallen out of love with the team. O'Reilly scored a career-high 28 goals in his first season with the Blues and won the Stanley Cup with the side in 2019. There's hope he can bring that experience to the Leafs, and end their unfortunate run.
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