What do the Predators have in Ryan O’Reilly?

Former St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly will suit up in gold in October. For some, the signing on 1 July was a little curious. The ongoing theme for the new reign of GM Barry Trotz was clearing out veterans (and cap space) for young players like Tommy Novak, Jusso Pärssinen, and Luke Evangelista to play in the NHL and find their game. Signing O’Reilly, as well as Luke Schenn and Gustav Nyquist, may seem a little curious to some.

Sportsnet (and other hockey outlets) commented along these lines:

“There was just such a great opportunity for a clean slate with Barry Trotz taking over and it seemed like, when Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene were shipped out, Nashville was turning the page. Instead, Trotz brought in O’Reilly and fellow early-30s heart-and-soul guy Luke Schenn. Sure, Nashville could challenge for a playoff spot, especially with Juuse Saros in goal. It’s just that, it’s really hard to see it doing anything beyond squeezing into the playoffs this year, next year and for any number of seasons beyond that.”

These points are valid. What do these signings mean, especially that of O’Reilly? Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic feels that these were character signings by Trotz, and I think Nashville fans need a little bit more than “character” in this new era of Predators hockey. Trotz told The Athletic “I needed some character people so that as these young players filter in, they had the backbone, the good leaders, the mentors, and good players that they could lean on and grow with.” Is this culture change what Nashville needed? Was that culture a little too stale with Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene in the fold?

Toronto wanted to re-sign O’Reilly, so it’s pretty exciting that he’s signed with Nashville. Trotz wanted O’Reilly and the signing was fairly quick–this tidbit from Darren Dreger makes things even more juicy:

While reviewing O’Reilly’s stats for this article, I was a little shocked to realize he’s only 32. He has a lot of hardware to his name, including a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe. His stats aren’t eye-popping, but his play on both sides of the puck is something that Trotz wants to bring to Nashville. A culture change is indeed happening.

I enjoyed this video of O’Reilly from a few seasons back:

There’s the old cliche of “all players signing with Nashville have to love music,” and while that’s somewhat funny, I believe the off-ice impact of O’Reilly will be similar to the kind of impact that some former Preds have had–Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, P.K. Subban…players who have had an impact with a charitable organization (or multiple) during their time with the Predators.

With O’Reilly suiting up in October, we aren’t looking for some kind of continuity or continued line chemistry. Very few of these players have played meaningful minutes with each other. Colton Sissons, Roman Josi, and Filip Forsberg are some of the longest-tenured players, and their most frequent linemates are no longer in Nashville (RIP, JOFA Line).

New head coach Andrew Brunette will have nothing to do but experiment, and with players like O’Reilly, Schenn, and Nyquist, he has veterans he can put nearly anywhere in the lineup with no issues. O’Reilly could center a second or third line with ease. There’s plenty of cases where we have seen O’Reilly playing with rookies, most notably Matthew Knies in Toronto in the spring. Mitch Marner said that O’Reilly “knows what it takes to go the distance.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said “we got him for these moments” when asked about O’Reilly’s on-ice impact in the playoffs for Toronto.

Barry Trotz had this to say when recapping his first ever free agency signing period:

“Ryan O’Reilly’s a serial winner, a Stanley Cup champion, a Selke winner. He’s been MVP in the playoffs. I’ve worked with Ryan at international events like the World Cup of Hockey. He’s been on Olympic teams. He reminds me of a Joe Pavelski-type of guy that continues to produce. People follow him, and everybody around him is better. And for our young guys and our culture, that was a critical piece for us.”

Another comment Trotz made later in the interview about O’Reilly was winning puck battles and seeking out pucks in the corners and against the boards. Trotz also complimented O’Reilly’s game sense and intelligence level.

Whether this is currently a true rebuild or not, Nashville appears to be a better team with O’Reilly in the lineup. It’s going to be great seeing him hit the Bridgestone ice, and I’m excited to see the impact he will have on this young team. O’Reilly is not simply along for the ride. He will be a leader alongside the current core of Juuse Saros, Roman Josi, and Filip Forsberg.

We’re not going to see his best-ever season, nor will he lead the Predators to a Stanley Cup overnight. The point of signing O’Reilly is to establish a culture and mindset that fits Barry Trotz’s vision of what the Nashville Predators should be. We’re past the days of signing players for their intangibles…O’Reilly’s impact will be visible from his first day in gold. I’ll leave you with a fun clip from ROR’s first game with Toronto: