As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs did not offer a new contract to center Ryan O’Reilly, who instead agreed with the Nashville Predators on Saturday on terms of a four-year contract with an annual value of $4.5 million.
The former captain of the St. Louis Blues, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2019, came to the Queen City last spring.
The Lady Byng and Frank-Selke Trophy winner suffered an injury early after arriving in Toronto. However, his impact was felt as he amassed 11 points in 13 regular season games. Playing big minutes in the playoffs, O’Reilly finished with nine points in 11 games.
However, due to their complicated relationship with the salary cap, the Leafs have decided to part ways with the 32-year-old hockey player, who got his hands on a $7.5 million salary last season.
O’Reilly will reach the plateau of 1,000 games in the National Hockey League in 2023-2024. In 991 games, he amassed 702 points.
From the depth to the blue line
The new Preds general manager, Barry Trotz, has been very active in opening up the free agent market by hiring veteran defenseman Luke Schenn.
The 33-year-old has signed a three-year deal worth a total of $8.25 million. This agreement will bring him $2.75 million per season.
The Saskatoon native started his final season with the Vancouver Canucks before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the latest trade deadline. He had 22 points, including four goals in 70 games in 2022-23.