Ryan O'Reilly speaks out about trade reports

St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly has heard the trade rumors and he doesn't like what he's heard.

The Blues are well out of the playoff picture and GM Doug Armstrong has some tough decisions to make on veterans O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, both pending unrestricted free agents. Tarasenko has reportedly asked out of St. Louis for awhile now, but O'Reilly is a different case because earlier this week he publicly stated that he does NOT want to be moved.

Some quotes from O'Reilly from an exclusive interview with Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford:

“This is where I want to be. 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.”

“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.”

- Ryan O'Reilly

The 31 year old center has had a dip in production this year, but to be fair his value has never really been counted in goals and assists. O'Reilly's real value comes in his two-way play and his ability to make great defensive plays in all three zones. He's arguably one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL along with the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Sasha Barkov. 

He's in the final year of a deal that pays him $7.5 million and it'll be interesting to see what kind of deal he gets on the free market. No doubt, whoever signs him will be getting a good player, but his age combined with a big ticket contract should give teams cause for concern.