Elliotte Friedman claims $18,000,000 Predators forward rejected reunion with Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of NHL trade deadline

Ryan O’Reilly has drawn interest from the New Jersey Devils, but the Nashville Predators are not ready to move him. On the NHL Network's Friday broadcast, Elliotte Friedman said the Toronto Maple Leafs also tried to bring him back. However, O’Reilly was not interested in a reunion. This makes a trade more difficult for the Devils, as they will have to convince both Nashville and O’Reilly.

"I think Toronto (Maple Leafs) looked into O'Reilly as well, and I think they were kind of told that he didn't really have an interest in that reunion," Friedman said. "So the Devils are going to have to convince O'Reilly, they're going to have to make a trade that convinces the Predators to add, and they're going to have to convince O'Reilly to say, yes."

"I think that's the big challenge here, because, I mean, last week, The word was that O'Reilly and even reports saying he really doesn't have a lot of interest to leave," he added.

O’Reilly signed a four-year, $18 million contract with Nashville in July 2023, and his deal carries a $4.5 million cap hit. He is now in his second season with the Predators.

O’Reilly’s offensive numbers have dipped lately, but he is still a strong player in faceoffs, improving to a 56.6% win rate. The Devils rank 24th in the NHL in faceoff success at 49.05% and need help in that area. They also need a center to replace Jack Hughes, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

O’Reilly had 26 goals and 69 points in 82 games last season. His experience and defensive play make him valuable, even with lower offensive production. The Devils see him as a key addition, but Nashville is not eager to trade him despite their low place in the standings.

New Jersey must make a strong offer to convince Nashville to move O’Reilly. The team also needs to persuade him to accept the trade. Since his contract runs beyond this season, the Devils must also consider the long-term impact.

Ryan O'Reilly continued his solid performance in Predators' win over the Kraken

The Nashville Predators won 5-3 against the Seattle Kraken at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday. Ryan O'Reilly continued his impressive performance with an assist and three shots on goal in 17:36 minutes of ice time. He finished the game with a rating of plus 1.

Adam Larsson gave Seattle a 1-0 lead 32 seconds in, scoring off a rebound from Vince Dunn’s shot. Filip Forsberg tied it at 7:15 of the first after Colton Sissons stole the puck from Dunn.

Brady Skjei put Nashville ahead 2-1 at 3:33 of the second with a wrist shot from the point. Forsberg made it 3-1 at 5:48 when his pass deflected off Shane Wright and went in. Michael McCarron extended the lead to 4-1 at 19:51 with a wraparound goal.

Jared McCann scored for Seattle on the power play at 13:31 of the third. Luke Evangelista added an empty-net goal at 17:15. Michael Eyssimont cut the lead for Seattle to 5-3 at 18:14 with a redirection but couldn't pull the win from the Predators. Juuse Saros made 22 saves for Nashville.