Blues get: Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s first-round selection in the 2023 draft, Ottawa’s third-round selection in the 2023 draft and Toronto’s second-round selection in the 2024 draft
Wild get: Maple Leafs’ fourth-round selection in the 2025 draft
Eric Duhatschek: So, what looks like a complicated three-way trade among the Leafs, Blues and Wild — which officially included nine separate pieces — really comes down to this: Toronto spent big to pick up the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Ryan O’Reilly, in a bid to end one of the most puzzling, frustrating, lengthy examples of playoff futility. An inability to win a round since 2004. An inability to win a championship since 1967.
Is O’Reilly the missing piece? Based on the evidence of this season alone, maybe not. He’s had an up-and-down time of it, with just 19 points in 40 games overall, looking as if the years are taking their toll on a heart-and-soul player who bleeds team and oozes leadership.
But he’s been better of late, after recovering from a broken foot and returning to the Blues’ lineup following a 14-game absence, and has managed three points in three games. Ultimately, the Leafs are banking on the fact that when the postseason begins, pedigree matters.
With O’Reilly on board, the Leafs make up a small bit of ground on the vast lead that the Tampa Bay Lightning have in playoff experience — and who’s kidding who? With two months to go in the season, it would take a miracle for Toronto’s first-round opponent to be anyone other than the battle-tested Lightning. One could argue that Toronto has questions in goal and on defense, in addition to the fact that they are a touch soft up front.
O’Reilly balances the scales a little and Noel Acciari, serviceable and experienced, is a useful depth add, though there is no point in overrating what he brings either. In 54 career playoff games, Acciari has seven points. He’ll battle for the Leafs in the trenches, but his contributions will mostly be in providing invisible minutes and the ability to push back when the likes of Pat Maroon and Corey Perry try to flex their muscles against a Leafs team with a softish bottom six.
The acquisition cost — not just to land O’Reilly, but to get the Minnesota Wild to soften the financial blow — ends up being four draft picks: a first, a second, a third and a fourth, spread out over four years. The third pick originally belonged to Ottawa, which Toronto acquired when they agreed to take Matt Murray and his contract off the Senators’ hands. One could still argue that Toronto’s biggest question mark remains in goal, and that when they do play the Lightning, the gap between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov will be cavernous.
There’s only value in surrendering that much draft capital if you win. Not so much if you lose. Could the Leafs have spent that elsewhere? Maybe. It all hinges on what O’Reilly ultimately brings to the mix — and if his presence ends that long, lengthy playoff drought.
The Blues get a player, Adam Gaudette, who has been almost a point-a-game player in the AHL but really doesn’t project as an NHLer anymore, plus 2019 fourth-rounder Mikhail Abramov. Minnesota essentially buys a fourth-round pick for retaining a quarter of O’Reilly’s salary.
Maple Leafs grade: B Blues grade: B-plus Wild grade: B
Dom Luszczyszyn: Four years ago, O’Reilly won the Selke Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Stanley Cup. That O’Reilly is probably not walking through the door for the Maple Leafs, not after his weakest season in years. The idea of the man is a bit bigger than what the man actually is, but the Leafs are still acquiring a strong, smart player with playoff pedigree. He’s just in need of a lesser role.
If you’re expecting a top-line center, like what O’Reilly had been for the past half-decade or so, chances are you’ll be disappointed. At age 32, O’Reilly’s game has dropped below that level this season as he’s struggled to produce anywhere near his usual rate. But the Leafs don’t need O’Reilly to be a top-line center; they already have two of the game’s best. They need someone who can lead the supporting cast, and that’s a role O’Reilly should be able to thrive in.
O’Reilly’s value has dropped every year since 2018-19, but he’s still projected to be worth 1.2 wins. That may even be modest, given some of the bad luck he’s faced this year compared to years prior and the context of his minutes. O’Reilly’s minutes are tougher than 97 percent of the league this season, but they surely won’t be in Toronto, where he’ll play either on one of the top two lines or in a lessened shutdown role in the bottom six. Either way, he should put up better numbers with the Leafs.
There is some concern with O’Reilly at both ends of the ice this season that make his acquisition a bit of a risk. He’s allowing chances and goals at the highest rate of his career and while he’s creating a lot of chances the other way, they aren’t going in. Relative to teammates, his impact on goals has been negative for two straight seasons. Maybe that’s bad luck, but it’s one reason to be cautious about calling the move a certified slam dunk.
The Leafs need it to be, because they paid a huge cost in draft picks to make it happen. Toronto shipped out first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks to make the money work — a hefty price — and added Acciari as well. St. Louis did very well to get that much for a declining asset and should be commended for getting top dollar back despite a down season for O’Reilly.
That huge cost won’t matter if it works, and O’Reilly very well might be the piece that puts Toronto over the top. But it’s still a risk to essentially go all-in on a 32-year-old coming off an injury and playing well below his usual standards. O’Reilly’s reputation is sterling enough to make him a worthwhile target, and his playoff resume is obviously attractive to a team like the Leafs, who are desperate to finally take the next step. It’s time to see if he lives up to the hype and gets them there.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
