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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in a three-team commerce that additionally consists of the Minnesota Wild.
In trade for O’Reilly and Acciari, the Blues obtained forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, a 2023 first-round choose, a 2023 third-round choose and a 2024 second-round choose.
With the Maple Leafs up in opposition to the wage cap, the Blues retained 50% of O’Reilly’s $7.5 million cap hit, and the Wild retained 50% of the remaining $3,750,000 earlier than sending him to the Maple Leafs.
For its half in absorbing a portion of O’Reilly’s wage, Minnesota obtained Toronto’s fourth-round choose within the 2024 NHL Draft.
With 12 targets and 7 assists in 40 video games, O’Reilly is within the midst of a down season by his requirements, however he’s solely 4 years faraway from main the Blues to a Stanley Cup and profitable the Conn Smythe Trophy because the postseason MVP. In that Cup run, O’Reilly posted eight targets and 15 assists in 26 video games performed.
O’Reilly could not have the ability to play at that stage anymore, however he will not be requested to do this in Toronto. With O’Reilly within the combine, the Maple Leafs have a humiliation of riches on the middle place. O’Reilly will slot in because the Leafs’ third-line middle behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and never many groups can match that form of depth down the center.
Acciari will give the Maple Leafs a little bit extra ahead depth, and he has 10 targets and eight assists in 54 video games performed this season.
After sending Vladimir Tarasenko to the Blues roughly every week in the past, the Blues continued their fireplace sale by getting a plethora of draft picks to make use of as they attempt to reconstruct their roster shifting ahead.
