The Nashville Predators are facing the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night to close out the month of October. However, this game is rather significant for one of Nashville's veteran players. Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly is skating in his 1000th NHL game. And the 32-year-old had some thoughts on the milestone prior to the game.

O'Reilly had the opportunity to speak with reporters on Tuesday. While 1000 games is a lot, it doesn't feel like it to the Predators veteran. “It is funny because I'm still in the middle of it,” O'Reilly said, via NHL.com. “I still feel I have a lot left to give this game and a lot to do still.”

The 32-year-old has answered a lot of questions about reflection. But O'Reilly doesn't feel like the aging veteran beginning the twilight years of his career. “I still feel like a kid out here, trying to get better, trying to make an impact and win. It really is just the best job ever. I've been so lucky to make it this far and hopefully a lot longer,” he explained, via NHL.com.

O'Reilly entered the league as a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2009. He remained with the Avs until 2015 when he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. However, it was a trade from the Sabres to the St. Louis Blues in 2018 that launched him to new heights.

In his very first season, he helped the Blues win their first-ever Stanley Cup. His efforts earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. O'Reilly stayed with the Blues until a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He then signed a four-year contract with the Predators this summer.

It sounds like O'Reilly has a lot left in the tank. And it'll be interesting to see just how long the 32-year-old can keep things going as the Predators chapter of his career unfolds.