Ryan O’Reilly Open To Taking Hometown Discount With Blues
Ryan O’Reilly really doesn’t want to be traded. The Blues are trending toward sell mode sitting six games out of a wildcard spot in the Western Conference while trailing Nashville and Minnesota on the outside looking in. If St. Louis sells, O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko would be pretty intriguing rentals for rival clubs.
If you ask O’Reilly, he’s open to taking a hometown discount on his next contract if it means he doesn’t have to leave St. Louis:
“Yeah, we’re starting to get a little dialogue going,” he told The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford. “I think there will be some talks kind of going forward here, but yeah, there’s no timeline or such. That’s kind of all I can really give you on that.
“This is where I want to be. I hope I don’t get moved, but I think things will probably progress, especially with the deadline coming up and the talks with that. We’ll see how it goes. We’re starting to get into that.”
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “Yeah, I want to make it work, but I also want to hold my value, too. At the end of the day, it is a business, and if we can’t succeed, and you can’t do the job as a leader, then I could (see) them getting rid of me.”
This is a much different tune from the last time O’Reilly spoke about his contract. The Blues captain made it obvious that he wanted to stay but made sure to state he was in no rush because he knows his value. This time, he used the words “yeah, absolutely” in regard to taking a discount in order to stay.
Does that have anything to do with the down year O’Reilly is having? The former Stanley Cup winner in 2019 is currently on IR and hasn’t been productive when in the lineup. The age is starting to show. On the season, O’Reilly is a -28 with 16 points in 37 games. Not ideal! At this point in his career, O’Reilly may be better served as a third line center for someone. Given that production, can the Blues even expect a return that makes it worth their time?
