Sports
NHL trade grades: Who won the Ryan O’Reilly to Leafs deal?
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Greg WyshynskiESPN
The NHL trade deadline (March 3) is still more than three weeks away. But big deals are already happening, with the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring center Ryan O’Reilly, the New York Islanders trading for Bo Horvat and the New York Rangers bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko.
We’re breaking down and grading all of the biggest moves from now through the deadline.
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquire center Ryan O’Reilly, forward Noel Acciari and forward Josh Pillar; the St. Louis Blues acquire center Mikhail Abramov, forward Adam Gaudette, the Leafs’ 2023 first-round pick, the Ottawa Senators‘ 2023 second-round pick and Toronto’s second-round selection in 2024. The Minnesota Wild acquire Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2025. St. Louis retained 50% of O’Reilly’s salary while Minnesota will retain 50% of his remaining salary before trading him to Toronto.
Any discussion about this trade begins with those nebulous, unmeasurable things called “intangibles.”