The Toronto Maple Leafs have not been shy about their vision to acquire a centre at the NHL Trade Deadline this year.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke on Monday saying that “he’s targeting a centre that’s reliable on both sides of the puck and can add offence.” He then added the following, saying “what you want and sometimes what’s available are two different things, so we’ll keep looking.” (via: Sportsnet’s Luke Fox)
That may be the most obvious statement in the history of NHL trade rumors, but it’s always nice to hear it from the GM’s mouth, versus media speculations. So now that it’s pretty much official that the Leafs want to a two-way centre who can add a little bit of skill, who will/should the Leafs acquire?
This isn’t going to come as a surprise, but the player who fits this description perfectly is Ryan O’Reilly. We are all very familiar with his skillset, as he scored three goals and registered nine points during the team’s 2023 playoff run.
If the Leafs don’t eventually win a Stanley Cup with the “core-four,” I think we’re going to look back at that 2022-23 season as one of the biggest dissapointment’s in Leafs history because that forward group was stacked. The aquisition of O’Reilly, in my opinion, still goes down as one of the best trades in Leafs history and the ability to have John Tavares, Matthews and O’Reilly as your three centre’s provided some of the best depth in hockey.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Reacquire Ryan O’Reilly
As a former Selke Trophy winner, O’Reilly is almost better defensively than he is offensively and has every attribute you want in a third-line centre. He can defend the opposition’s best player, can score 5v5, is valuable on the power-play and can also be your best penalty-killer. In addition to that, he brings legitimate playoff experience as a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
The Nashville Predators are going to miss the playoffs and if O’Reilly wants another chance at a Stanley Cup, he should put his hand up for a trade to Toronto. I know that he originally didn’t re-sign with the Leafs because he wanted to stay out of the spotlight, but I think he also thought the Predators would be way more competitive than they are.
O’Reilly may be rethinking his decision to leave Toronto and could want to return to a place that has a legitimate chance at winning a Stanley Cup. The spotlight is definitely brighter with the Leafs versus Nashville, but he’d be a legend for life if he rejoined his hometown team and won a Stanley Cup.
There are a few other players who we’ll continue to speculate in trade rumors over the next two months but until the NHL Trade Deadline passes, I will be petitioning for the Leafs to reacquire O’Reilly because he fits everything they need.
