The Colorado Avalanche have been the NHL's dominant team as the regular season nears the Olympic break. during the majority of the first four months of the season, the Avs played so well that they only had two regulation losses. They have slowed down a bit in the last three weeks, but this is clearly a team that has its sights set on finishing the regular season with the league's best record and then winning the Stanley Cup.
The Avs (35-6-9) have two of the best players in the league in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Head coach Jared Bednar knows that both of these superstars are not the least bit satisfied with the way the team has played to this point and that the only thing that matters is dominating on an every-game basis.
As good as those superstars are, the Avs will likely have to make some moves to give the team its best chance to of rising to the heights and winning the Stanley Cup this year. The supporting cast includes Martin Necas, Devon Toews (upper body injury), Brock Nelson, Arrturi Lehkonen, Brent Burns, Sam Malinski and Gabriel Landeskog (rib injury), and those players are all good enough to make key contributions. However, they may not be enough to bring the Avs the Stanley Cup. If that is going to happen, they need to go after Ryan O'Reilly of the Nashville Predators.
Forging a deal with Preds may take some doing
This may not be an easy move to make. For one thing, the Predators have shown quite a bit of improvement in the last five to six weeks of the season. While they are not in a playoff position, they are within four points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Even if the Predators decide they will be better off selling their assets for prospects, draft choices or established players, they will not be the only team that looks at O'Reilly and attempts to secure him in a trade. It may take a very significant offer to bring in O'Reilly. In addition to his skill as an all-around center in the NHL, O'Reilly comes with an admirable pedigree.
He was the key player for the St. Louis Blues when they won the Stanley Cup in 2019. He demonstrated that he could rise to the occasion in a Stanley Cup Final for a team that won the 7th game of the championship series on the road. O'Reilly may not be at the height of his physical skill any longer. He will be 35 by the time teams start playing after the winter break and he is a 17-year veteran.
The years have taken some kind of toll on his skating speed, but he has incredible savvy, skill and experience. He could easily play the role of 2nd or 3rd-line center, and that would make him a brilliant acquisition.
O'Reilly has scored 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points in 52 games for the Predators while averaging 20:07 of ice time per night. That's a substantial total for a team on the outside of the playoffs and his numbers could be even better playing with a star-laden team like the Avs.
Colorado would have to offer multiple future draft choices and a choice between two players including Parker Kelly and Ross Colton. The Avs can't give up high-ranking players who have a heavy impact on this year's team, but Kelly or Colton could go to the Predators and give Nashville a lift and fit in on one of the top three lines.
Adding one of those players and a draft choice in each of the next two years could be enough to secure O'Reilly's services.
Envisioning O'Reilly's role on the Avs
It is not difficult to envision where O'Reilly will fit in on this elite team. MacKinnon is the No. 1 center on the team and he could be the best player in the NHL this season, although there will always be a fight with Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. McDavid is going to get most of the support, but he has never won a Stanley Cup while both MacKinnon and Kucherov have lifted the vaunted trophy.
Nelson currently holds down the role of the No. 2 center, while Jack Drury is the No. 3 pivot. At the very least, head coach Jared Bednar could insert O'Reilly as the No. 3 center and he could also give him some time in Nelson's place if he thinks the second line needs a little extra juice. The return of Landeskog from his injury will also have an impact on the coach's line juggling.
O'Reilly has a significant amount of confidence that comes from being the pivotal player on a team that has won the Stanley Cup. If he gets a chance to play with the Avalanche, he knows he will be going to one of the favorites to win this season and he will rise to the occasion.
He could be the X-factor that helps the Avs get over the top.
