The Maple Leafs were hoping to keep a pair of their pending unrestricted free agents in the fold but it may not play out that way. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Ryan O’Reilly will test the market today while Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN adds (Twitter link) that defenseman Luke Schenn will do the same.
O’Reilly was one of Toronto’s key trade deadline acquisitions, coming over in a trade from St. Louis. The 32-year-old fit in well with his hometown team, picking up 11 points in 13 games down the stretch while winning 62% of his faceoffs. O’Reilly then put up nine points in 11 playoff contests, cementing himself as one of the top middlemen on the open market; he ranks seventh on our Top 50 UFA list.
LeBrun notes that the Maple Leafs had interest right to the end so it’s possible that the veteran circles back depending on how his market plays out today. That said, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Detroit, Montreal, Nashville, and Vancouver are all linked to O’Reilly as well so there could be enough interest to push his price tag out of Toronto’s price range.
As for Schenn, Johnston reports that again, there was mutual interest in getting something done but the level of interest in the 33-year-old has yielded an offer from another team that’s too strong for the Maple Leafs to match. Schenn matched his career high in points with 22 last season and chipped in with a career-high 318 hits. After playing for the last four seasons on contracts worth less than $1MM, that seems sure to change today for the 37th-ranked UFA on our list.
Would have loved to see either(both) of these guys sign with the Avs this off-season but with Colorado’s recent activity combined with expected price tags, a homecoming for ROR isn’t in the books
He was shipped out from the Avs the first time over $$$$$$$$$$$$
Only Toronto would give a 3 year deal to a 36 year old player!
Same ole- same ole!!!