Perhaps Ryan O’Reilly won’t be traded after all.
According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Avalanche have had contract talks with representatives for the 24-year-old forward, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Avs GM Joe Sakic hopes to get a deal done before the start of next season:
Sakic says he'd prefer O'Reilly not play out his final year without an extension done. Avs want to get him done before the season...
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 18, 2015
This, of course, does not mean that O’Reilly is definitely staying in Denver. As we noted yesterday, his tenure with the club has been marked by contentious contract negotiations.
Also, the Avs may be loath to give him a richer deal than they gave Matt Duchene (five years, $30 million). O’Reilly wouldpresumably have little trouble getting at least that on the open market.
O’Reilly can officially sign an extension on July 1.