Ryan O'Reilly lets his personal preference be known ahead of the March 3rd trade deadline

In the final year of a 7-year deal he signed in 2015, Ryan O'Reilly has been at the forefront of trade rumours and speculation for the past couple of months. As the Blues sit 6 points out of a playoff spot and with the trade deadline approaching quickly, they will have to decide whether they want to re-sign their captain, keep O'Reilly as their own rental or ship him out and recoup some assets for the 2019 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner.

Currently on the IR with a broken foot, O'Reilly has just 10 goals and 6 assists through 37 games this season and is an atrocious minus 28. He has been a consistent 50+ point player throughout his career, but his calling card is his defensive ability and his affinity for winning faceoffs. O'Reilly will add to any teams' center depth and be able to provide them with secondary scoring in the playoffs.

O'Reilly spoke with reporters yesterday addressing all of the trade rumours. He made it very clear that he does not want to leave St. Louis saying, "I hope I don't get moved." O'Reilly can hope he doesn't get moved all he wants, but without a no-trade clause in his contract, the Blues have the final say and if they think there is the slightest chance he won't re-sign with the team in the off-season he will be traded. O'Reilly did mention to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford that he and his camp have had limited discussions with the Blues on a possible extension, but did not go beyond that or provide any additional info.


With just over a month until the deadline, the Blues hope to have O'Reilly in a few games beforehand to raise his trade value as the return for a currently injured player would likely not be as high as a healthy one who can show that he can still be productive, even after a slow start.