Ryan O'Reilly opened his Toronto Maple Leafs account in style on Tuesday night and even managed to leave the ice as a hat-trick hero against one of his former sides.
The Leafs went all out to secure O'Reilly from St Louis Blues, as they gave up multiple draft picks to make one of their biggest trades in recent years. A three-team trade that also involved Minnesota Wild saw O'Reilly leave his position as Blues captain and head to the Leafs to play under head coach Sheldon Keefe.
It's a move that's already looking like a success, as O'Reilly has five points in his first three games, and he scored his first three goals in a Leafs jersey on Tuesday night. The Leafs beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-3, but even before the game, O'Reilly claimed that they were going to "take off" as a team.
"We’re close. Soon, we're going to start to take off," O’Reilly vowed Tuesday morning, even before his hat-trick in Buffalo, wearing a new uniform in his old town. And this was backed by Keefe, who said: "They look to me like a group that’s close to breaking out."
It was a stunning night from the Leafs who have really been given a lift by the O'Reilly trade, and it was the perfect response after suffering a disappointing 5-3 loss to Chicago Blackhawks. The Leafs found themselves 4-0 up inside the first period, with O'Reilly grabbing the opening pair.
It was an empty net goal with 1:10 left on the game clock that secured O'Reilly's hat-trick, and it was of course assisted by Mitch Marner. Five of the six goals scored by the Leafs were assisted by Marner, as his incredible season continues.
There's a real spirit within the team that the Leafs are onto something, and there's a sense of anticipation that this could finally be their year. The Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967, but they'll want to overcome their unwanted play-off curse above anything.
The Leafs haven't won a single play-off series since 2004, as they continue to fall apart in the very first round of postseason action. They've brought in Stanley Cup winner O'Reilly to change that, and there could be further movement before the trade deadline on March 3.
The trade saw O’Reilly, Noel Acciari and Josh Pillar all head to the Leafs, while Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette moved on to St Louis. The Blues retained 50 per cent of O'Reilly's contract in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.
The Wild acquired a 2025 fourth-round pick while retaining 25 per cent of O'Reilly's contract, leaving the Leafs with just 25 per cent to pay themselves. O'Reilly is out of contract at the end of the season though, so the Leafs will look to agree an extension to avoid him walking away.
