Is he a center or is he a winger?
Is he part of the core?
Will he be resigned at seasons end an at what cost?
With a glut of promising centers, is he the odd man out?
Who is he, and what is he REALLY worth?

Before we start on that, lets get a background on him for those who don't know him. Ryan was drafted 33rd overall in the 2009 NHL draft the same year another young stud was drafted, Matt Duchene. Unlike Duchene, who was almost certain to make the lineup, Ryan showed up to camp and came to battle. Most players his age and draft position aren't NHL ready for at least 2-3 years, but he clearly was ready. He played well in training camp and was announced to start the year with the big club, and at the time set a record for the youngest Avalanche to make regular season debut for the big club. In his first game, he notched his 1st assisnt and NHL point against the San Jose Sharks. 14 days later, he scored his 1st NHL goal against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens in the midst of an offensive spark he showed, adding points in 7 games straight, a mark that stood the highest for rookies for the rest of the year. He was later told he was sticking with the team for the year, becoming the 1st Non-1st round draft pick to make the NHL right out of the draft since someone i would compare him to, Patrice Bergeron. After this point Ryan's offense dipped quite a bit, but he continued to do what innitially earned him the roster spot... Defence. Given the nickname "Radar", Ryan is known for keeping his head on a swivel and reading plays and seeing the ice very well. In the next two seasons, he continued to do the little things, blocking shots, throwing hits and his main specialty, takeaways. In the 2 years after his rookie campaign, Ryan kept on pace with one of the best in the business in Pavel Datsyuk, placing 2nd both years behind The Magician. As injuries piled up to the Avs in his 3rd season, Ryan was given the oppertunity to center the 2nd line and he did not look out of place putting up 55 points, a number that was greater than his 1st 2 seasons combined.

Things started to go sour during the 2012 offseason when O'Reilly became a RFA and contract negotiations hit a stalemate. Things went from bad to worse as the NHL locked its players out and negotiations could not continue. As the summer went on, players began signing lockout deals in the Eurpoean Leagues, Ryan was no different signing with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL to play with older brother Cal, but what was different for him was he signed a 2-year contract. Many Avalanche fans such as myself were very upset about this as it seemed like he would stick over in the KHL. It later came to be that he used the 2-year deal as leverage in contract negotiations and he had an NHL out clause should Colorado offer him a better deal. The two sides still could not reach a deal and the Calgary Flames offered Ryan a 2-year, 10 million dollar offer sheet. The Avalanche quickly matched this offer durin the game they played versus the Flames later that night.

Fast forward to today, Ryan is about to enter his 5th season in the NHL and is currently penciled in as Colorado's 1st line RW by new coach Patrick Roy. Personally, i don't like this position for him and i truely believe he will end up back as the 3RD line Center. Why? Because he fits that mould to a Tee. In my mind, Ryan is the perfect 3C. He does all the little things you expect from a two-way center(hits, blocks shots, kills penalties, alot of takeaways, plays the hard minutes). With Duchene looking like the #1 center for years to come and Nathan Mackinnon to surely become the #2 eventually, O'Reilly makes more sense as the 3rd. Most cup winning teams have depth down the middle (Pittsburg, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston) I believe Paul Stastny will become a winger or be dealt for a defenseman in the future as well.

So, what is he worth? Im going to throw some names at you of great 2-way centers.
Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler
Pretty high company to be mentioned beside? Yes. This is my point. Ryan compares to these players defensively, but does not have the offense that the mentioned players do. (Or at least he hasn't had the time and opportunity to really find out). Ryan's cap hit is currently 5 million dollars, and i believe that is where it should be, no higher. Kesler is the cheapest of the mentioned players at 5 million and he has shown more offense than O'Reilly.

Ultimately i believe Ryan should be resigned to a 4-6 year deal for around 5 million dollars per season, i believe he has shown promise, shown his commitment to the team, shown he can be a leader(see Landeskog's rookie year as he was on Radar's wing most of the season) and he seems to fit well with the core of Landeskog, Duchene and Mackinnon.

Thank you for taking your time to read and hopefully i am able to write more for you in the future. Kepp your head up and get ready for another great season ahead!

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