Multiple Leafs players react to the Ryan O'Reilly trade
Ryan O'Reilly is a Leaf, ladies and gentlemen. I can't believe that we're able to say that. Barely 12 hours have passed since the deal and with O'Reilly and fellow former Blue, Noel Acciari on the way to Toronto expecting to play tonight against the Canadiens, Leafs Nation is beaming with excitement at the prospect of playing hockey well into the spring and, hopefully, the summer as well.
On Saturday morning, some of the Leafs' players met with the media to discuss the O'Reilly acquisition, including John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. They had plenty of great things to say about the trade and it quickly became pretty clear that they share the same level of excitement as their loyal fanbase.
"It was a pretty good wake up. It sends a strong message and gets the group energized," said John Tavares when he met with the media this morning regarding the news the Leafs had acquired Ryan O'Reilly late last night.
The acquisition of O'Reilly solidifies the Leafs down the middle with Auston Matthews, John Tavares and David Kampf, but it also provides the Leafs with a sensational penalty killer, a strong two-way presence, some added physicality and some more leadership.
"Just an overall complete playerThose qualities will obviously fit in well with us here," Tavares said of O'Reilly while comparing him to Patrice Bergeron. "Just because you are a captain doesn't mean you have all the answers; Opportunity to learn and grow and learn what's made him successful," Tavares continued, embracing the opportunity to learn from the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup winner.
Morgan Rielly echoed Tavares' comments saying, "It's a move that we as players we look at and it tells us where we're atWhen you add players like that it's good for the team on the ice and for telling us where we're at. Just to have that internal belief of the expectation of what we're capable of is a good feeling."
The players appear to be just as excited as Leaf fans are with the addition of O'Reilly, but let's not forget about Noel Acciari who Tavares said was "just a real solid player, very consistentHard on walls and hard on pucks, being difficultHe's just made that competitive element and physical nature a real staple of his game."
Buckle up, Leafs Nation! It's gonna be a wild ride down the stretch and in the playoffs!
| POLL | ||
18 FEVRIER | 516 ANSWERS Multiple Leafs players react to the Ryan O'Reilly trade How did the Leafs do in the Ryan O'Reilly trade? | ||
| They hit a homerun! | 257 | 49.8 % |
| They did alright! | 194 | 37.6 % |
| Don't like how much they gave up.. | 52 | 10.1 % |
| They got fleeced. Bad trade. | 13 | 2.5 % |
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