Ryan O'Reilly makes a bold statement about the Predators this season
In the weeks leading up to free agency, nobody really had a good read on what was going to happen with Ryan O'Reilly in Toronto. When he spoke on locker cleanout day, his future seemed very uncertain with the Leafs. Then, a few weeks later, he revealed that he was open to the idea of a possible extension, saying "we'll see what happens".
A few days before free agency opened, when O'Reilly still wasn't signed, everyone began to get the sense that he could be on the way out, but almost nobody expected him to sign the deal that he did, a 4-year contract worth $4.5M per season with the Nashville Predators.
With the Maple Leafs being among the top teams in the league and Nashville having essentially cleaned house this summer, the move is a bit of a head-scratcher from a competition perspective. After all, O'Reilly has stated a number of times that he wants to win. Why then would he choose Nashville over Toronto? Well, it's simple really. He believes the Preds can win.
In an interview on Thursday, O'Reilly emphasized that he believes that the Preds can be a competitive team this season, dismissing the idea that the team had taken a step backwards this year.
"I think, as a group, we have great leadership. We have great young pieces. Why can't we contend? Why can't we? It's a long year, but it's (about) preparing in the summer and doing things the right way. Then, we get into camp and we start to build a foundation and keep adding to it.
This team, over the years of playing against them, it is a tough team to play against. That's something I want to add on top of. I want to be difficult for whoever we're playing against and build it from there." - O'Reilly on his expectations for he and the Preds this season
This team, over the years of playing against them, it is a tough team to play against. That's something I want to add on top of. I want to be difficult for whoever we're playing against and build it from there." - O'Reilly on his expectations for he and the Preds this season
Obviously, the Preds are getting a solid two-way player in O'Reilly, who brings a ton of leadership and heart into the locker room. He's also one of the most relentless workers, both in practice and in a game setting. He'll be taking on a huge role in Nashville, with Ryan Johansen (COL) and Matt Duchene (DAL) now gone.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 17 | 180 ANSWERS Ryan O'Reilly makes a bold statement about the Predators this season Do you think the Nashville Predators can make the playoffs next season? | ||
| No | 103 | 57.2 % |
| Yes | 77 | 42.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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