St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly doesn't sound like he wants to be dealt at the trade deadline.
“This is where I want to be," O'Reilly told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford in an exclusive interview. "I hope I don’t get moved, but I think things will probably progress, especially with the deadline coming up and the talks with that. We’ll see how it goes. We’re starting to get into that.”
A pending unrestricted free agent this summer, the 31-year-old centre currently is sidelined with a broken foot.
The Blues entered Tuesday's NHL play six points out of a playoff spot, which could make them a seller prior to the March 3 deadline.
O'Reilly is having a down year with 10 goals and six assists in 36 games, but he is a proven playoff performer -- having won the Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season MVP in 2019 when the Blues captured the Stanley Cup.
“I’ve never really been through it in-season. If we have (contract) talks, and try to sort things out, that’s great. But there’s no point speculating on ‘what-ifs.’ I really don’t want to give it any attention because it’s out of my control. Kind of like that last time I was traded, it’s out of my hands.
“I want to be here, and I’m going to do whatever I can to get back out there with these guys and get into the playoffs. If something happens, something happens, but my entire focus is on getting healthy and trying to win. That’s why I don’t want to leave. I want to be a part of that, and I think things will take care of themselves that way.”
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