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Leaf Rumours

Age 21

C.Kreider - NHL: 7gms, 1gls, 2pts (82gms, 12gls, 23pts) --- AHL: 33gms, 5gls, 12pts (82gms, 12gls, 30pts)
J.Colborne - NHL: 10gms, 1gls, 5pts (82gms, 8gls, 41pts) -- AHL: 80gms, 18gls, 47pts (82gms, 19gls, 48pts)

Age 20

C.Kreider - NHL: 18gms, 5gls, 7pts (82gms, 23gls, 31pts) --- AHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- NCAA: 44gms, 23gls, 45pts (82gms, 43gls, 84pts)
J.Colborne - NHL: 1gms, 1gls, 1pts (82gms, 82gls, 82pts) --- AHL: 75gms, 20gls, 42pts (82gms, 22gls, 46pts) --- NCAA: ---

Age 19

C.Kreider - NHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- AHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- NCAA: 32gms, 11gls, 24pts (82gms, 28gls, 62pts)
J.Colborne - NHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- AHL: 6gms, 0gls, 2pts (82gms, 0gls, 27pts) --- NCAA: 39gms, 22gls, 41pts (82gms, 46gls, 86pts)

Age 18

C.Kreider - NHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- AHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- NCAA: 38gms, 15gls, 23pts (82gms, 32gls, 50pts)
J.Colborne - NHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- AHL: 0gms, 0gls, 0pts (82gms, 0gls, 0pts) --- NCAA: 40gms, 10gls, 31pts (82gms, 21gls, 64pts)
 
Krieder is big and can skate so he should be a decent NHLer pretty easily. But I don't see anything resembling high end skill there.
 
Custance:

If you ever want to talk to Ryan O'Reilly after a hockey practice, be prepared to wait. In the past, when other Colorado Avalanche players were already on the way to their cars in the parking lot after practice, O'Reilly was often still on the ice.

When Kevin Shattenkirk was still with the Avalanche, sometimes he would aid O'Reilly in a drill the young center dreamed up. Or just watch out of curiosity.

"He's on the ice an extra, at least, half-hour every day," Shattenkirk said. "Working on the weirdest things."

For example?

"In the slot, he would sauce a puck at the net, take another [puck] and try to shoot it out of the air with another puck," he said. "He'd have two pucks going."

In another post-practice drill session, O'Reilly would have Shattenkirk fire pucks in the air at him so he could knock them down and try to get off a quick shot. Over and over and over.

"It's just little skills like that you never even think to work on," Shattenkirk said. "He does it every day. For that reason, he's pretty mature beyond his years."

When you talk to former teammates about O'Reilly's worth as his holdout now drags into the second quarter of the season, they explain that it goes beyond the 55 points he put up in 2011-12, his best season. It's the tireless work ethic to improve, along with being beloved in the dressing room, mixed in with a growing offensive stature and strong two-way game. Along with his on-ice production, it's a combination that should now make the 22-year-old highly desirable on the trade market.

One NHL scout said Wednesday he projected O'Reilly as a No. 3 center during his draft year and has since upgraded him to a No. 2. That's typically the consensus among executives -- O'Reilly is a strong No. 2 center on a contending team. So it's easy to understand why the Avalanche are holding firm on not overpaying him or excessively exceeding Matt Duchene's two-year, $7 million contract. And now they're reportedly exploring trade options. But there's a danger in that, too, considering how much he's clearly admired by teammates, current and former.

"If I had to sign one guy on that team, it'd be him," said former Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey. "He's your guy. He's your rock."

Blues forward Chris Stewart was clear in his evaluation of O'Reilly's importance to the Avalanche.

"I've got no problem going on the record and saying that Ryan O'Reilly is the best player on the Colorado Avalanche," Stewart said. "Knowing him, knowing the kind of guy he is, he's a great guy in the room to have; he's an amazing player."

Yet there remains a standoff.

It appears to be the perfect spot for an offer sheet, but I haven't found a GM or front-office executive who doesn't believe it would be a waste of time.

"Offer sheet would just get matched," said one NHL source, echoing the opinions of many others.

Said another: "If you perceive that they're just going to match, why do it? You just create an enemy."

The enemy wouldn't just be Colorado. Team executives believe that, by signing a player to an offer sheet, you make your own future restricted free agents more vulnerable to offer sheets.

"I don't think anyone would have a problem signing one of Philadelphia's [RFAs]," he said because of the Flyers' aggressive move to sign restricted free agent Shea Weber this summer.

So without the threat of an offer sheet, what leverage does O'Reilly have? One major difference between O'Reilly and P.K. Subban is the team's performance. When Subban held out, the Canadiens got off to a great start. Andrei Markov and Raphael Diaz were putting up big numbers on the back end and, to his credit, Subban wanted to be a part of it.

That's not happening in Colorado right now.

The Avalanche are 4-6-1, and their nine points are tied for the lowest total in the NHL. They need O'Reilly in the lineup if they want a chance to compete this season. That's leverage.

"They're missing him a little bit right now," Stewart said.

General managers are constantly weighing the short term against the long term, and that's the challenge for Greg Sherman. Sure, Colorado is greatly improved if he's back in the lineup, but at what cost? It's about setting precedent in future seasons and future negotiations. If Colorado caves, what message does that send future restricted free agents like Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Semyon Varlamov, who will all need new contracts after next season?

For that matter, if you're a team that signs him to a big offer sheet, what message does that send your own future restricted free agents? Their price would just go up.

That's why one NHL source said he wouldn't even trade O'Reilly.

"I wouldn't," he said. "What kind of precedent are you setting?"

There's no easy answer, but if a trade is the solution for the Avs, they'll have options. TSN's Darren Dreger said the asking price starts at a roster player and prospect. In past years, premium players who were on the verge of unrestricted free agency typically brought a return of a roster player, prospect and first-round pick. There is concern among inquiring teams about O'Reilly's contract demands, but anyone who trades for him is getting a player who should be on their roster for a long time. This isn't a rental.

"That's definitely a guy you can build a team around," Stewart said. "Once he got the opportunity to play those big minutes, he showed what he could do."

There's not a team that wouldn't love to add him, but some destinations make more sense than others, including:



Toronto Maple Leafs: They're developing a good young group, and O'Reilly could jump right in and be a part of the core. As injuries pile up, the timing would be great for a team that has shown strong growth this season. He doesn't necessarily answer their need for a No. 1 center, but he would be a nice fit in Randy Carlyle's system.

Calgary Flames: There remains an alarming shortage of high-end young talent in Calgary and O'Reilly would immediately change that. The trick would be to make a deal that doesn't cost the team too many young assets; the Flames need to protect those assets at all costs because of their aging roster. Bob Hartley would love O'Reilly, and the coach was a big part of helping Marc Savard blossom into a star at center. O'Reilly isn't the playmaker Savard was, but Hartley would be getting a more complete young center this time around. I'm not sure the Avs would be too eager to deal within the division, though.

Phoenix Coyotes: This one actually makes a lot of sense. Phoenix needs help up front and O'Reilly would immediately become the team's best center. When everyone is healthy, the Coyotes are one of the few teams with depth on defense, and they've got more young defenseman coming. Which team is saying no to a trade built around O'Reilly and Keith Yandle?
Click to expand...
 
Would that be Terrible? Love what Jake brought last season, but our blue line looks pretty good and we have Reilly in the pipeline. Don't want to lose him but would it be a worthwhile return?
 
Radar is a solid hockey player. He's what zeke would call a super-elite second line center.
 
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