With the trade deadline looming, almost every insider has reported the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a centre.
All year, one of the biggest weaknesses in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup has been the third-line centre. Max Domi has been taking up that role for most of the year, but an upgrade is needed.
With Treliving calling around looking for centres, there are two names of former Leafs who have popped up a few times.
The former Leaf Treliving can't make a move for is Ryan O'Reilly.
O'Reilly Isn't the Target for the Maple Leafs
I'm going to start with the fact O'Reilly had the chance to stay in Toronto after the second-round exit to Florida but opted to leave. On his way out, there was talk that O'Reilly wasn't a fan of the media attention that comes with being a Leaf.
If you're going to make a deep run in the playoffs, everyone needs to buy in and want to be with the team. I'm not saying that O'Reilly would lack effort because he got traded here, but something does sit well with me, knowing O'Reilly would rather be elsewhere than in Toronto.
Another reason why I don't think the 33-year-old is the right target for the Leafs is because I would like to see this team add some more speed to the lineup.
O'Reilly brings a strong defensive game, some scoring and a lot of playoff experience. O'Reilly has played 81 playoff games where he has scored 26 goals and 41 assists for 67 points (Stats from NHL.com).
Although all those things are nice, the contract is also something the Leafs have to take into consideration. O'Reilly has two more years left on this current deal where he is making 4.5 million a year against the cap (salary stats from PuckPedia.com). Even with the cap going up, I wonder how that contract will look past this year and in the last year of the deal.
Many reports are saying the Leafs are looking to add a centre with term, but I don't know if that is the right approach. With Tavares and Marner on expiring deals, along with the salary cap projected to rise, I think the Leafs should leave themselves open for as much cap flexibility as possible for this offseason. Then again, they also have to try to win now.
Sometimes opportunities arise to trade for players who aren't available midseason in the summer. While that doesn't help the team this year, it may set them up better for the future and I think there are better options than O'Reilly for this Leafs team.