- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Source saying contract talks between the Avalanche and Ryan O’Reilly are at a standstill and they could be heading towards an arbitration hearing on July 23rd. They could agree to deal beforehand, but it seems unlikely. There haven’t been any substantial talks since the team filed for arbitration last month.O’Reilly can’t make less than $5.525 million through arbitration and would have the option to pick either a one- or two-year deal. He would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of a two year deal.
- Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: Dater’s prediction on how the O’Reilly-Avs situation will eventually play out …
“The Avs will keep him only so long as they don’t get a great trade offer for him. There is no question, though, that they have to trade him within two years if they know they can’t sign him. O’Reilly controls the cards on that if he wants. He can reject all offers by Colorado, with the mindset of “They never valued me for what I was really worth, so screw them, I’ll leave in two years max” and essentially force the Avs to trade him before then. Otherwise, he’ll leave for nothing. Just like Paul Stastny did.”
- Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal: Willis wonders if the Oilers would be interested in O’Reilly if the Avs decide it’s best to move on. The Avs could be interested Jordan Eberle, David Perron, Nail Yakupov and possibly Justin Schultz. If the Avs want to trade him, they may prefer to send to the East.
