Ryan O'Reilly

[Curufinwe]

Everyone knows the real cancer is Jack Eichel and he's in Buffalo for a long time.

O'Reilly is one of the good 2nd line players in the league. Not the type of player you build around.

2.52 P/60 at 5on5 is 2nd line scoring?

Player Season Totals - Natural Stat Trick

 

[sufferer]

Last year he checked out on the Sabres...

I don't seem to recall this at all. He was saddled with some dogshit wingers and still busted his ass every shift, maybe with a few inopportune defensive lapses here and there that stick out in peoples' minds. He was much more consistent in the effort department than just about every player on the team. There's just no getting around how bad this trade was for Buffalo.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I don't seem to recall this at all. He was saddled with some dog**** wingers and still busted his ass every shift, maybe with a few inopportune defensive lapses here and there that stick out in peoples' minds. He was much more consistent in the effort department than just about every player on the team. There's just no getting around how bad this trade was for Buffalo.

Can't say i watched the Sabres a ton last year so you may be right, although i do remember him saying he sort of gave up on the season or something along those lines.

"Checking out" for ROR still probably doesn't mean floating though, just that there was another level he could've got to but didn't, and he feels like he didn't put enough effort to get there. Can't blame him though. It's pretty hard to push yourself when the team is crap and most games are meaningless.

 

[NHL WAR]

ROR is just so damn good. He plays a sound defensive game, competitive as heck and doesn't make many mistakes - yet able to produce at PPG rate. Very underrated goalscorer.

Also plays his best hockey when the team is competitive and playing important games. Probably the main reason i thought the team that got him out of Buffalo would fall in love with him.

It's a shame we don't get to see how good the Sabres would've been now that the culture is much better, with Eichel/ROR/Dahlin as the main core.



Last year he checked out on the Sabres but this year he's been a legit 1C.

Almost 21 mins per game (11th in the league by C's). Leads the teams forwards in penalty kill minutes. 50/50 split in offensive and defensive zone starts. And yet 55 points in 54 games. On a pace for 30 goals. Leads the team in takeaways (also top 5 in the league) and has a 3/1 takeaway to giveaway ratio (best in the league). Team has the puck more than not when he's on the ice. Top 5 FO guy in the league.

He absolutely is a 1C. And a good one too.

It is truly amazing how well rounded he is and how he can be so good defensively/ at takeaways without getting any penalties.

 

[Dbrownss]

He's so damn good.

He is a #1C, it doesnt matter who they stick on his wings, he makes them better. Sanford, Perron, Schenn, Tarasenko. All saw their scoring go up with him. Obviously Tarasenko is a different beast but you get the point. It's about time to get Schwartz up there and get him going.

 

[sabremike]

I don't seem to recall this at all. He was saddled with some dog**** wingers and still busted his ass every shift, maybe with a few inopportune defensive lapses here and there that stick out in peoples' minds. He was much more consistent in the effort department than just about every player on the team. There's just no getting around how bad this trade was for Buffalo.

It was a trade that was so spectacularly awful that if something like that happened in any other sport the GM would almost surely be fired within a year of making it.

 

[Snippit]

Why we traded our 2nd best center for scraps I'll never know...

 

[Beerz]

Way to miss my point.

Ryan O'Rielly chose to drive impaired, ignoring the potential harm he could have caused others. I never said he had anything to do with my relative.

I don't respect him for a choice he made that easily could have harmed an innocent person.

Chances are you respect a lot of people who have driven impaired.

 

[Beerz]

haha

to be fair i think thompson is going to be a really good player, hes lanky and really needs to adjust to his size but the raw skill is there

He's dumb.

 

[AVictoryDive]

haha

to be fair i think thompson is going to be a really good player, hes lanky and really needs to adjust to his size but the raw skill is there

To be faaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiii-uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...to be fai-uh

 

[Sabresruletheschool]

Why we traded our 2nd best center for scraps I'll never know...

Thats what I say. I really hope he's like the worst teammate ever, other wise what Buffalo did was pure stupidity. We had the middle locked up for the next 5 years. All Buffalo had to do was put some decent players around them.

I mean, if they thought he was a problem and would have traded him for a different center like Coutour, Schenn, or something like that, then I maybe could understand. But trading him for basically crap when you don't have any centers and your in a market thats hard to draw in talent to begin with. Stupid move. Stupid, stupid move.

 

[Dbrownss]

Why we traded our 2nd best center for scraps I'll never know...

But Thompson and his toe drags....

 

[nuck]

I'm surprised there hasn't been much talk on O'Reilly this year outside of when he got traded. On a struggling Blues team he was the only bright spot on the season. Now that the Blues are playing up to the level they were thought to be playing at all year, O'Reilly continues to lead the Blues and is pushing them back into a playoff spot.

O'Reailly is currently on pace for his best season ever with only 8 more points until his career high while he still has 28 games remaining. He currently has 55 points in 54 games while still maintaining a +20 rating as the teams #1C, playing PK, and the Blues very poor start this year. He's been one of the top faceoff guys this year and honestly is the main reason the Blues are even still in the playoff hunt this year. I've seen plenty of Blues fans wanting him to get the C from Pietrangelo. What are your thoughts on Ryan O'Reilly's great year?

I think people were a bit in confused because everyone expected the Blues to be better with him and for the first half they were so much worse. Its harder to focus on a positive when so many other Blues were not performing like they have before. Really him, Perron and Binnington are producing as hoped and a whole bunch of existing Blues that were stars last year were in a funk. No question he has been driving the bus offensively and has a got shot at a career high in points. His rep has always been a hard guy to play against, even when he wasn't scoring.

Now Tarasenko is back after a 50 pt pace the first half so this club could do some damage. O'Reilly seems like the type of guy you want in a tight playoff series but he hasn't had much chance to show that. Yes he looks like a #1C but not in a crazy offensive way like McJesus or Matthews, more like Toews. Vegas went to the finals without a ppg guy in their lineup so Blues fans have to be excited about their potential. Now if Schwartz and Pietrangelo can get closer to their A game this club could take some of the burden off of O'Reilly and Binnington. You don't want to rely on a .930s% to win games.

[mod]

 

[rumrokh]

I think people were a bit in confused because everyone expected the Blues to be better with him and for the first half they were so much worse. Its harder to focus on a positive when so many other Blues were not performing like they have before. Really him, Perron and Binnington are producing as hoped and a whole bunch of existing Blues that were stars last year were in a funk. No question he has been driving the bus offensively and has a got shot at a career high in points. His rep has always been a hard guy to play against, even when he wasn't scoring.

Now Tarasenko is back after a 50 pt pace the first half so this club could do some damage. O'Reilly seems like the type of guy you want in a tight playoff series but he hasn't had much chance to show that. Yes he looks like a #1C but not in a crazy offensive way like McJesus or Matthews, more like Toews. Vegas went to the finals without a ppg guy in their lineup so Blues fans have to be excited about their potential. Now if Schwartz and Pietrangelo can get closer to their A game this club could take some of the burden off of O'Reilly and Binnington. You don't want to rely on a .930s% to win games.

[mod]

Since Binnington's starts in January, the Blues are averaging 3.2 goals per game and outscoring their opponents 48-27. They have the fewest shots against in the league since the beginning of December and, prior to yesterday's win against Nashville, outshot their opponents for twenty straight games. They are definitely not relying on a .930 save percentage to win games.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Since Binnington's starts in January, the Blues are averaging 3.2 goals per game and outscoring their opponents 48-27. They have the fewest shots against in the league since the beginning of December and, prior to yesterday's win against Nashville, outshot their opponents for twenty straight games. They are definitely not relying on a .930 save percentage to win games.

Bingo. We're just a completely different team.

Advance metrics show the defense is making it easy on Binnington. Binnington isn't bailing out a bad defense.

We're pretty much back to the days of Hitchcock Hockey with Brian Elliott in net. That's a really great thing since that duo led us to the Western Conference Final.

I know being compared to Elliott may not be special but it is hard to say what Binny actually is. Right now, he's benefiting from a much stronger defense. Zero doubt about it. Elliott did the same in STL and put up a .925 save percentage over 181 games. I'm thrilled with that comparison!

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Is there a chance he ends up a Hart finalist?

 

[Dbrownss]

Is there a chance he ends up a Hart finalist?

I'd say yes. I'd Hawks make the playoffs, Kane will easily win. O'Reilly may not be capable of that 100pt season but he absolutely is the reason the Blues are where they are.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Is there a chance he ends up a Hart finalist?

I can’t see it. Should be a strong contender for the Selke though.

 

[Emerz]

I can’t see it. Should be a strong contender for the Selke though.

Definitely, should be Bergeron, O'Rielly and probably Stone as the finalists at this point and I'm thinking Stone is locked in at 3rd behind the 2 centers.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

If he keeps this up, I have no problem calling him a legit #1 center.

 

[Addison Rae]

What an absolute steal for the Blues.

 

[SharksCyclops]

Poor mans Bergeron was a good way to describe him from earlier in the thread.

 

[Emerz]

Poor mans Bergeron was a good way to describe him from earlier in the thread. Could he get any nods for Hart if the Blues make it in to the postseason?

I don't really think he can due to the crazy number of points some guys are putting up.

He really is a Bergeron-lite though, maybe a bit more physical however.

 

[SharksCyclops]

I don't really think he can due to the crazy number of points some guys are putting up.

He really is a Bergeron-lite though, maybe a bit more physical however.

Yeah, I edited that out after Kane's name popped into my head. Tough competition this year.

 

[Dbrownss]

I don't really think he can due to the crazy number of points some guys are putting up.

He really is a Bergeron-lite though, maybe a bit more physical however.

It really does suck because most of the high profile guys' teams would make the playoffs without them. The Blues without O'Reilly never would have recovered. He's been consistently their best player all season. He also has a sizable pts gap on Tarasenko