Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly is officially on the trading block, according to a report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman on Hockey Night in Canada.
Joe Sakic is seeking a “significant defenseman” in exchange for the 2104 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, according to the report.
O’Reilly is entering the final year of a two-year deal worth a total of $12 million.
Reports at the time were that the negotiations were contentious, however Sakic said at the time, “There was never any animosity between us this whole time. Any of the perceived animosity came from the outside.”
While there may not be any animosity, something is clearly afoot, as O’Reilly has routinely been heralded as a cornerstone of Colorado’s youth movement that also includes Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog.
O’Reilly has 90 goals and 156 assists in 427 career NHL games, all with the Avalanche, with a career plus/minus of -13.
O’Reilly would become an unrestricted free agent in July 2016 if he does not work out a long-tem deal with Colorado.