Insider links Leafs forward to Western Conference team who has some new-found money to burn
With Ryan O'Reilly potentially pricing himself out of Toronto, there should be plenty of suitors for the veteran pivot and Elliotte Friedman mentioned on Wednesday that one of them could be the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks have been a mess for a very long time and they don't seem to be willing to wave the white flag and enter a rebuild. They are very much invested in Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, and one would have to assume they're locked in on Thatcher Demko - anyone else is up for grabs in their attempt to re-tool.
When they moved on from captain, Bo Horvat, for a package that included a first round pick and a prospect, many believed that to be the first step in the right direction. However near the end of the trade deadline, they traded that first round pick - additionally a 2nd round pick as well - they acquired to the Detroit Red Wings for Filip Hronek, who carried term.
After buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson and most likely placing Tanner Pearson on the LTIR, the Canucks will have a little over 12 million to work with. They don't have any major extensions to hand out, the lone players of interest would be RFAs, Ethan Bear and Vitali Kravstov, and they are always on the market when it comes to unloading J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Tyler Myers.
It was reported earlier that O'Reilly wants a contract worth over $5M per season and if there is one team that is willing to dish out money to players they believe in, it would be Vancouver. Friedman also alluded to the idea that they are very interested in Carson Soucy with a vacant hole left by Ekman-Larsson.
To make both of them work, they may have to unload one more contract and the most enticing pieces to move on from might be Tyler Myers and Conor Garland. J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser were close to being dealt at the trade deadline this past season with Pittsburgh being one of the many suitors, so either or both of them may be moved at some point this summer as well.
O'Reilly to Vancouver still seems strange considering where they stand in the Pacific Division, let alone the Western Conference, but if they entice him with enough money and term and lay out a riveting plan to rocket themselves into contention again, they may be able to lure the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner away from Toronto.
