By Jordan Long
(Update: at 4:44 Mountain Time: Bo Horvat has been traded to the New York Islanders)
The Colorado Avalanche hit the All-Star break at 27-18-3 for a total of 57 points. If the postseason were to start now, the Avalanche would be the 2nd Wild Card team in the Western Conference. The Avalanche could be looking for a trade to upgrade the team for the stretch run. Ryan O’Reilly could be a possibility.
The Avalanche have been looking for a 2nd line center to replace Nazem Kadri who agreed to contract with the Calgary Flames during the offseason. The Avalanche thought they had when they signed Evan Rodrigues to a 1-year deal on September 12th, 2022.
Rodrigues has shown promise at times to be another scorer for the Avalanche. He has totaled 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points. Rodrigues also sees time on the power play scoring 5 goals and adding 3 assists on the man advantage. Not bad numbers but for Colorado to make another run to the Cup, those need to improve. Either that or Colorado must make a trade to even add more scoring depth. The NHL trade deadline is on March 3rd.
The Avalanche have been linked to Vancouver Canucks’ center Bo Horvat. Horvat is having one of his best seasons in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and adding 23 assists for 54 points, surpassing last year’s total of 52 points. The problem with acquiring Horvat is what the Canucks want back. They reportedly want three players, including a top prospect back for Horvat. That is a lot. Colorado may not want to do this type of trade.
O’Reilly might be the better option. O’Reilly’s first team in the NHL was the Colorado Avalanche. He played with them from 2009 to 2015. In that time, he appeared with the club for 427 games, scoring 90 goals and adding 156 assists for a total of 246 points. Colorado traded O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres on June 26th, 2015. O’Reilly had been with the Blues since 2018. The Sabres dealt him to St. Louis on July 1st, 2018.
Colorado though might want a reunion with the center. The Avalanche know O’Reilly can score. He totaled 250 goals and 438 assists for a total of 688 points so far in his NHL career. The Avalanche could use him to center the 2nd line.
The Avalanche want him for his playoff experience. He helped the Blues win a Cup in 2019. In 64 playoff games, O’Reilly tallied 22 goals and 34 assists for a total of 56 points.
The problem with trying to acquire O’Reilly is he has been out with a broken foot since December 31, 2022. He is expected to be back before the March 3rd trade deadline. Who knows what kind of hockey shape he will be in. If he is back to playing well, then going after O’Reilly makes sense but it would be a gamble. Also, O’Reilly would be a rental since he is going to be a free agent once the season ends. There is no guarantee he would sign a long-term contract with the Avalanche.
The Avalanche want to be a playoff team once again to defend their cup. Their biggest need is a 2nd line center. Colorado knows they will be calling and picking up the phone before the deadline to enhance this team. The worst-case scenario is they stand pat with the team they have now.
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