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Ryan O’Reilly played his first game for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 18.Claus Andersen/Getty Images
Traded to the Maple Leafs by St. Louis late the night before, Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari arrived at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Soon thereafter they suited up for Toronto for the first time and did their share in a 5-1 victory over the Canadiens.
O’Reilly went 12-2 in faceoffs and contributed an assist while Acciari fired five shots on net and registered a team-leading five hits.
“I catch myself every few hours,” O’Reilly said afterward. “I can’t believe everything that has gone on. It has just been a whirlwind. I am still kind of shocked I am here.”
In O’Reilly the Maple Leafs picked up the most coveted player available before the NHL trade deadline on March 3. The trade has the potential to be one of the most important in the team’s 105 years.
The 32-year-old centre has won a Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy, a Selke Award and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. He is a top defensive player, rarely gets penalized and was the Blues’ captain when they won their first NHL championship in 2019.
He and Acciari could have travelled from St. Louis to Chicago, where Toronto played on Sunday evening, but they chose instead to join their new teammates as quickly as possible.
“It’s kind of like going into cold water,” O’Reilly said. “It is better to just jump in headfirst than to tiptoe into it. It is just better to get here and start playing.”
On Sunday night, in the Leafs’ 5-3 loss to Chicago, Acciari scored his first goal as a Leaf, his 11th of the season, with 2:14 left in the second period.
O’Reilly is from Ontario and his parents and wife are from Toronto. This is his 14th season in the NHL and he has scored 20 goals or more seven times. He has also played in 64 post-season games during which he has 22 goals and 34 assists. He scored eight times and had 15 assists in 26 games during the Blues’ run to the Stanley Cup.
“His pedigree speaks for itself,” general manager Kyle Dubas said Saturday. “His defensive prowess, his playoff performance, what he brings to the centre position, and what he will bring to our team on and off the ice is vital to what we are trying to accomplish.”
Along with O’Reilly, the Maple Leafs acquired a gritty forward in Acciari without giving up anyone from their NHL roster. It cost them two AHL players and one in the WHL along with first-, second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks.
In addition, St. Louis agreed to pay half of O’Reilly’s US$7.5-million contract for this year, and Minnesota, an intermediary in the deal, agreed to pay $US1.875-million.
One thing to note: It is a bit of a gamble because O’Reilly and Acciari will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.
Acciari, 31, has played in the NHL for eight years and had a career-best 20 goals in 2019-20 for the Florida Panthers.
Between them Toronto believes they bring the experience and depth necessary to help the team win its first playoff round since 2005 – and possibly more.
“We have been in the top 5 in the standings [in recent years] and when you are there your goal has to be to win the Stanley Cup,” Dubas said. “People will scoff and that’s fine, but we are trying to win. Anything short of that and we will be disappointed.”
“There was excitement in the locker room today with us getting two guys that are going to help our team,” Michael Bunting, who scored twice in the victory over Montreal, said afterward.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was driving home from his son’s hockey practice on Friday night when he heard about the trade.
“I wasn’t expecting a deal in any way,” Keefe said Saturday a few hours before the puck was dropped. “It was exciting. To be honest with you it was tough to sleep. As a coach I thought about all of the different options it presents. I think I am just like all of the players. You are thrilled to be able to make the team better.”
Later, Keefe remarked that they “came as advertised. They are two veteran players, very experienced and accomplished and fit right in right away.”
On Saturday, O’Reilly centred a line on which John Tavares played left wing and Mitch Marner played on the right. O’Reilly nearly scored on his first shot.
“This is exciting for our team and no doubt our fan base,” said Tavares, the Maple Leafs’ captain. “When Kyle [Dubas] and management make a move like that it sends a strong message about their belief in the team and what we want to accomplish.”
Morgan Rielly, the Toronto defenceman, said, “[the trade] is a move that as players we look at and it kind of puts everything into perspective. The organization has belief in the team and where we are trying to go. We got better and that is a great feeling.”
