The Colorado Avalanche have started off the season with a dominant record of 21-2-7, which is the best in all of the NHL. The next closest team happens to be a division rival in the Dallas Stars, who currently sit two points back with Colorado having a game in hand. The Avalanche will be looking to add to their bottom six, which brings up a former Avalanche, Ryan O’Reilly, who is currently playing with the Nashville Predators.

The Predators’ last offseason spent money trying to make a run with the team they had, but over the last two seasons, things haven’t worked out. They finished last season 30-44-8 in seventh in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference. Today, entering play, they are 11-14-4 in last place in the Central Division and 14th in the Western Conference. O’Reilly is a name that has been talked about already this season. Yesterday, Daily Faceoff Live mentioned Colorado trading for O’Reilly. He has a $4.50 million cap hit this season and next season. O’Reilly doesn’t have a no-movement clause, but has almost a verbal promise from Predators General Manager Barry Trotz that he will be talked to about being moved and where to.

O’Reilly, in 28 games this season, has 22 points on nine goals and 13 assists. He leads the team in points, is second in goals, and assists. He’s an even in plus/minus with a power-play goal, the Predators’ lone shorthanded goal, and leads the team with four-game winning goals.

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Ryan O’Reilly

Early Career

The Avalanche drafted O’Reilly 33rd overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He spent six seasons with the Avalanche, recording 246 points on 90 goals and 156 assists. He was a -13 with 20 power-play goals, four shorthanded goals, and 12 game-winning goals. O’Reilly won the Lady Byng with them in 2013-14. He then spent the next three seasons in Buffalo, where in 224 games he had 176 points on 65 goals and 111 assists. He was a -40 with 31 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals, and eight game-winning goals. The next 4.5 seasons were with the St. Louis Blues, where he won a Stanley Cup. In 327 games, he had 269 points on 97 goals and 172 assists. He was a +46 with 22 power-play goals, five shorthanded goals, and 15 game-winning goals.

Later Career

The Blues traded him to Toronto in 2022-23, where in 13 games he had 11 points on four goals and seven assists. He was a plus-three with a game-winning goal. O’Reilly has spent the last three seasons with Nashville, where in 189 games he has 143 points on 56 goals and 87 assists. He is a -16 with 24 power-play goals, a shorthanded goal, and eight game-winning goals. In 1,180 career games, he has 845 points on 312 goals and 533 assists. He’s a career -20 with 97 power-play goals, 12 shorthanded goals, and 44 game-winning goals.

Playoff Career

In 81 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has 67 points on 26 goals and 41 assists. He’s an even in plus/minus with ten power-play goals and five game-winning goals. In 2019, for the Blues Stanley Cup team, he won the Conn Smythe for MVP. In 26 games, he had 23 points on eight goals and 15 assists. He was a plus-two with a power-play goal and two game-winning goals.

Wrap Up

Colorado has been using Jack Drury as their third-line center, who hasn’t been a bad fit there, but adding a player of O’Reilly’s talent with his playoff experience there is a huge boost to a team that looks well on their way to winning the President’s Trophy this season.

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