The most realistic target for the Montreal Canadiens is Ryan O’Reilly. His two-way game and ability to put up points would be a great addition.
Everyone is excited that John Tavares is expected to hit Free Agency on July 1st. However, with so much attention on him, many forget about Ryan O’Reilly. Tavares may be the main prize, but honestly, a player of that calibre will not leave the New York Islanders. This is where O’Reilly comes into play for the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs need to find a great centre if they want to have success in the near future. He is currently their best chance at doing that
Ryan O’Reilly should be the Habs Main target
O’Reilly is one of the most underrated centres in the NHL. In fact, there were many nights he was the best player on the ice in Buffalo. The problem is that the Sabres are in a full rebuild and want to give more ice time to their younger centres. That leaves him available on the trade market.
When thinking of how defensive-minded head coach Claude Julien runs his team, a great two-way centre like O’Reilly has to come to mind. The 27-year-old could step in and play very well in his system.
While Tavares is a superstar that would obviously take the team to the next level, however, O’Reilly isn’t as far from him as many may think.
Ryan O'Reilly is one of the best players in the NHL (and apparently one of the most underrated too) pic.twitter.com/m14rfGIINZ
— Ian Tulloch📊 (@IanGraph) May 20, 2018
This tweet by Ian Tulloch shows that O’Reilly is the eighth best player in the NHL in the goals above replacement category, a stat that indicates how many goals a player adds to their team relative to the average player. It shows just how valuable the Sabres centre is for his team.