Ryan O’Reillyhas had a slow start to the new season and so have the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado’s main weakness right now could be scoring the puck, but defense has been an issue even when the club made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. Simple solution: trade Ryan O’Reilly for a top defenseman.
Avs fans everywhere (including myself) have been clamoring for the team to make a trade regarding a top-4 defenseman. Colorado has a couple solid options inErik Johnson,Jan Hejda, andTyson Barrie, but they need more than that to compete. Colorado already has the forward position set for the next couple of years with young guns such asMatt Duchene,Nathan MacKinnon, andGabriel Landeskog. Throw in some key role players such asJamie McGinn,Alex Tanguay,John Mitchell, and evenJarome Iginlaand you’re set on the offensive end.
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O’Reilly and the Avalanche have had contract disputes throughout the past couple of seasons which is frustrating if you’re a fan of the team. The best thing to do right now for this team moving forward is to gauge trade interest for Ryan O’Reilly and see what you can get in return from the defensive position.Brad Stuarthas started to play a lot better of late coming back from injury, but you simply can’t trust throwing players likeNick Holden, Nate Guenin, andRyan Wilson(injured) on the ice and expect good results.
O’Reilly, 23, has gotten off to a slow start like most of the Avalanche players this season. Through 36 games played, O’Reilly has collected just six goals and 14 assists – good for T-7th on the team in terms of points. Former Denver Post columnist Adrian Dater said O’Reilly was reportedly drawing interest from teams such as the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets. Even the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs surfaced in the conversation.
You never know what can happen in the world of sports, but as of right now, Colorado is on the outside looking in – in terms of making the playoffs. The team sits with a record of 13-15-8, 34 points – good for seventh in the Central Division Standings. Colorado needs to make a deal (a splash if you will) which they have been hesitant to do so over the last two seasons. O’Reilly seems to be their best trade candidate right now and rightfully so, because you don’t want to move young talent such as Duchene, Landy, or MacKinnon.
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