Insider touches on why Ryan O'Reilly didn't re-sign with the Leafs
The Leafs negotiated down to the final moments with Ryan O'Reilly in an effort to keep him in Toronto. Unfortunately, O'Reilly wanted to test the market to see what else was out there. He ended up signing a 4-year deal with Nashville worth $4.5M per season.
Many are wondering why the Leafs couldn't make that work to keep O'Reilly, but according to TSN's Darren Dreger, the term and money was not an issue for the Leafs. While O'Reilly had suggested that he wanted to stay in Toronto a few weeks ago when on TSN 1050's OverDrive, it appears that he may have been disingenuous with his remarks about potentially staying with the Leafs.
It's unfortunate to see him go because he did fit in very well with the Leafs and provided the team with significant depth at center. It would have been nice to have him back, but it is clear O'Reilly wanted his role to be more prominent on the ice, and it's obvious that playing somewhere else was a priority for him, whether it be because of the bright lights and volatile market in Toronto or simply because he felt he'd have a better chance to win elsewhere.
