Perhaps playing on a much more competitive team will bring out the best in O'Reilly, who finished the season with 24 goals and 61 points last season. With the Sabres committed to their young core, O'Reilly was shipped to the Blues where he'll fill much of the same duties, except this time with more talent and experience on his wings. If he gets power-play time and plays with the right linemates, O'Reilly has a chance to pot 30 goals and 70 points, neither of which he's done before. His addition gives the Blues a reliable center and lessens the load for Brayden Schenn, and even with Tyler Bozak in the fold, O'Reilly should be cemented as the team's No. 2 center. O'Reilly has taken the most faceoffs over the past three seasons. Even though his usage will be dialed back, he remains a valuable multi-category fantasy asset.
O’Reilly simply doesn't care about scoring as much as he does about playing a 200-foot game, which is why his offensive production has ranged between 55 and 64 points for the past four seasons. As a testament to his all-around ability and consistency, he led all NHL forwards with 21:27 of ice time per game and won 58 percent of his faceoffs -- the second straight season he’s led the league in minutes and the fourth straight season he’s improved his efficiency in the dot. O’Reilly was leaned on heavily in all situations, and he'll play a similar role for the 2017-18 season. One minor point of concern is the 26-year-old’s durability; after missing just two games in his final two seasons with Colorado prior to joining Buffalo, he’s missed 21 games over the past two campaigns. When healthy, O’Reilly is a strong candidate for the Selke Trophy as well as a reliable secondary scorer in fantasy.
A few raised eyebrows when O’Reilly was signed to a seven-year, $52.5 million extension without playing a single minute in a Sabres jersey, but there are no doubters now. The contract kicks in this season and carries with it a $7.5 million cap hit, 10th in the league. But he’s worth every penny for the Sabres, having just led the team in points, including a career-high 39 assists on the league’s fifth-worst offensive team. O'Reilly averaged more ice time than any other forward in the league, so he was certainly part of Buffalo's 27-point improvement in the standings. He’s the Sabres’ first choice in all situations, and with the team around him improving, he should post even better numbers over the next few seasons unless Jack Eichel can ultimately usurp his first-line minutes.
O’Reilly is a great No. 2 center on a good team. But on a bad team, he’s the go-to guy on the top line. That fits him just fine -- the dude has convinced himself that he’s an elite center, but therein lies the problem. He’s serviceable in a 60-point kind of way, though the attitude can be -- and has been -- an issue. Just do a search for his name with the word “Lucan” and you’ll discover his latest brain cramp. It was especially regrettable choice when you factor in the big, new contract he’d signed days before, and the fact that the police station was across the street from the Tim Horton’s he hit. Decision-making aside, O'Reilly will need to prove that the seven-year, $52.5 million deal he was handed wasn’t a mistake. Draft him as a potential 60-point center that gets first-unit power-play time, but keeper leaguers should leverage any decent scoring run into a deal. After all, this is Jack Eichel’s team now, and O’Reilly will be the second-line guy in a couple short years.
The steal of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (33rd overall), O'Reilly exploded for career highs in nearly every offensive category in 2013-14, including goals (28, a team high), power-play goals (nine), game-winning goals (six), shots on goal (201) and shooting percentage (13.9). One of the game’s premier two-way forwards, O’Reilly also led the league in takeaways with 83, which is somewhat surprising since he skated to a mediocre minus-1. With one of the more explosive top-six forward corps in hockey, the 23-year-old will almost certainly spend more time on the wing again this season -- away from his natural position at center -- to likely line up alongside either of the team’s superstars, Matt Duchene or Nathan MacKinnon. However, the exact configuration of the team's top-two lines isn't yet clear, especially with the loss of veteran playmaking center Paul Stastny to the Blues in free agency, and the addition of Jarome Iginla on the wing. Most importantly, make sure you’re mindful of the gentlemanly O’Reilly’s lack of value in the PIM department, as the 2014 Lady Byng Trophy winner only spent two minutes in the sin bin, which came on a freak “broken stick” minor 71 games into the season when he unknowingly played the puck with an illegal twig. The Clinton, Ontario native should again land near the 64 points he tallied last season, as long as the absence of Stastny doesn’t impact his game too much and he can stay healthy in 2014-15.
After ending his holdout last season, O'Reilly provided an offensive spark for the Avalanche, scoring 20 points in 29 games. The two-way forward will move to left wing this upcoming season and join Matt Duchene and P.A. Parenteau on the Avs' top line. We will see how O'Reilly can adjust to a new position, but this cerebral forward will see plenty of ice time and has the opportunity to deliver like a true number one left winger.
O’Reilly had an outstanding season in 2011-12, a year in which he finally came into his own as a top-six player following two seasons playing a checking-line role. With 55 points in 81 games, he led the Avs in scoring and more than doubled his output from his first two seasons. He also continued to show a solid knack for the defensive side of the game, leading the entire NHL in takeaways with 101. Still unsigned as of early August, it’s expected the Avs will bring O’Reilly back next year and give him every chance to build upon last season’s stellar effort.
O'Reilly took some big steps forward last season, even though he scored the same amount of points (26) as he did in his rookie year. For example, his goal total went from eight to 13, and he spent much more time in a top-six capacity, filling in for the likes of injured teammates Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk. O'Reilly will likely start this season back on the Avs' third line, but last year gave us a glimpse of what he can do when put into a scoring role. Keep him on your list of possible waiver-wire acquisitions as the season progresses, especially if the Avs run into injury trouble again.
O'Reilly had a very successful season as an 18-year old rookie, considering he was not expected to crack the Avs' roster for another season or two. Instead, he stuck with the team right out of training camp and went on to score 26 points in 81 games skating mostly on the team's third line. With Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene expected to continue centering the top two lines, O'Reilly should fill a similar role to last year's. His fantasy value is limited to deeper leagues right now, but make no mistake - this kid's a scorer and has plenty of offensive upside, so keep an eye on him.
