Generally speaking, general manager Barry Trotz and the Nashville Predators are primed to be sellers at this year’s NHL trade deadline.
At the time of this writing, the Predators are 13-21-7 and just three points away from being the last-place team in the NHL. They’ve also scored the fewest goals in the NHL, having only recently cracked 100.
Veteran Predators forward Gustav Nyquist is already being considered a popular trade target around the league, and now NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has suggested the same could be true of Ryan O’Reilly.
In his latest “Saturday Headlines” segment, Friedman believes that teams are exploring trading for O’Reilly, and the Predators are willing to strike a deal, but only under two conditions.
“Ryan O’Reilly, when he signed with the Predators before last season, he signed a four-year deal. There was no protection in there. Trade, no-movement clause, nothing like that. There’s been some speculation this year, and I think the Predators have been called about O’Reilly,” Friedman said. “The respect he has around the league is so high, people want to know if he could be available. Here’s what I understand the Predators are telling teams: They’re saying, ‘He may not have protection language in his contract, but he is being treated as if he has a no-move clause.’
“I think the Predators’ preference is to keep him because they want him to win, especially when they put the pieces back together at the end of this year, and also see him as a leader on and off the ice. However, they are going to at least consider [a trade] under two conditions. Number one, the offer has to be something that really excites them. It really has to be a great offer. And number two, it has to be something O’Reilly would agree to. And as far as I can tell at this point in time, I don’t believe O’Reilly has indicated in any way, shape, or form that he is looking to move.”
O’Reilly, 33, has two more years on his contract, excluding this one, at a $4.5 million cap hit. As Friedman noted, O’Reilly does not have any protection in his contract, but the Predators are effectively giving him some.
The former Stanley Cup champion is only getting older; he’ll turn 34 next month and will be 36 when his contract expires. On that note, the Predators are wise to consider trading O’Reilly now while his value is still towards the higher side.
However, very few teams in contention for the Stanley Cup playoffs could reasonably fit his $4.5 million cap hit on their books.
This makes finding a good offer tricky for the Predators, as they have only one retention slot left available and O’Reilly has multiple years left on his contract.
Teams like the New Jersey Devils, who are actively looking for centers and depth scoring, and the New York Rangers could make some sense, but in any case, the Predators will have to take players back in the deal, which would likely be a big one, as Friedman alluded to.
The NHL trade deadline is on March 7.
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