NHL Rumors: Blues' Captain To Potentially Re-Sign Short-Term

It's not a sure thing that the captain of the St. Louis Blues, Ryan O'Reilly, is going to be traded at the deadline. The two sides have been talking about a contract extension as O'Reilly really likes it in St. Louis. The Blues may also see this as an outlier of a season in a great career as he has been one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL since his arrival.

Per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Blues would prefer a 2-3 year deal for O'Reilly. If he wants a long-term contract, it may be a deal breaker. A short-term deal works out in favour of the team as there are now question marks about O'Reilly and if he can bounce back from this season. He is also nearly 32 years old and has already started to decline aside from this season.

An extension of this length may be the most O'Reilly can get after the season he's having with just 10 goals and 16 points in 37 games. Other teams may not even give him three years. The Blues as a whole have not been great and it is partly a reason for even worse numbers this season by the captain.

O'Reilly has a Stanley Cup, Lady Byng Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Selke Trophy to his name. He has also received Selke Trophy votes in 12 consecutive seasons, finishing in the top-five in voting the past four. There is no reason to think he can't bounce back defensively next season or even once he returns from injury. If the Blues want to stay competitive, it's the right thing to keep O'Reilly around for a couple more years at a much cheaper contract.

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