O'Reilly, Schenn both leave Leafs to sign in Nashville: reports
The Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn era is over with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Saturday, it was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that O’Reilly and Schenn are set to sign multi-year deals with the Nashville Predators, departing Toronto after coming over just prior to this year’s trade deadline.
4x$4.5
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023
3x$2.75M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023
O’Reilly had four goals and seven assists in 13 regular season games for the Leafs following the deadline, though he missed nearly a month with a broken finger. Come playoff time, he found the net three times while adding six assists in 11 playoff contests, but put up just a goal and an assist in the Leafs’ second-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers.
Though he became an immediate fan favourite during his time in the city, it’s hard not wonder what his long-term legacy would’ve looked like in the city had he been able to stick around for multiple seasons with the team.
A respected veteran around the league with a resume that includes the 2019 Selke and Conn Smythe awards on his way to the Stanley Cup with the Blues, O’Reilly came to the Leafs via a three-way trade with a pair of reduced salary transactions that saw Toronto have just 25% of his initial $7.5 million cap hit, totalling as $1.875 million on their salary sheet.
A native of nearby Clinton, Ontario, O’Reilly would’ve likely liked to return to Toronto, but the realities of the team’s salary cap situation seemed to complicate that possibility.
“It’s a big change coming to the mecca of hockey, yeah, just it’s weird,” O’Reilly told TSN 1050 in a radio interview in June. “People say, they’re a great hockey town, they love love the game. But here, it’s, it’s more than just the game, it’s a lifestyle, it’s everything.”
Earlier in the day, it was reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger that the Leafs are set to give journeyman enforcer Ryan Reaves a three-year contract totaling a shade under $4 million over the course of the deal.