The Ryan O'Reilly saga is finally over, at least in Colorado.

The Avalanche on Friday finally rid themselves of a player whose contentious contract hassles overshadowed his on-ice play by trading him and forward Jamie McGinn to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for center Mikhail Grigorenko, 21; defenseman Nikita Zadorov, 20; college forward J.T. Compher, 20, and the No. 31 pick (first in the second round) in this year's NHL draft.

They'll have the opportunity to make that selection Saturday when the draft resumes with rounds two through seven, though general manager Joe Sakic said Friday night he would consider moving it for "more picks."

The Avalanche had hoped to sign O'Reilly to a multi-year contract extension -- as of now, he's eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1, 2016 -- but his representatives were reportedly asking for $7.5 million a year on a long-term deal.

Sakic had made it clear he wanted to sign O'Reilly before the season started to avoid the distraction his pending UFA status would have caused. The Avalanche lost Paul Stastny to St. Louis last July 1 when he became a free agent and they weren't about to lose another core player without getting something in return.

"After speaking with his representatives it was clear to me that we weren't going to get to where the numbers were, so we decided to explore our options and see what was out there," Sakic said in a conference call. "We had a chance to acquire Carl Soderberg (from Boston on Thursday), who was high on our list for a replacement, a big body who is smart with the puck and he'll be a great fit for us, a good two-way player.

"That allowed us not to worry about the center position and try and get a good, young D. We really like the potential of Zadorov. We feel he's capable of being a solid, solid D for us for the next 10 years."

Zadorov gives coach Patrick Roy the left shooting defenseman he was seeking. The Moscow-born Zadorov, who is 6-5 and 220 pounds, had three goals, 12 assists, 51 penalty minutes and a minus-10 rating for the Sabres last season in his rookie campaign. He was the Buffalo's first pick (No. 16) in 2013.

The Avalanche also managed to keep their first-round pick (No. 10) and used it on 6-4, 211-pound right wing Mikko Rantanen, 18. He is from Nousiainen, Finland and had nine goals, 19 assists, 22 penalty minutes and a minus-1 plus/minus rating in 56 games for TPS in the Finnish Elite League (Liiga) while serving as an alternate captain.

Rantanen had four goals in five games at 2015 World Junior Championships and was rated the top international skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for this draft.

"We were even thinking about maybe moving up just to make sure we got him," Sakic said. "We got him at 10 and our guys rated him higher, so that was a great thing for us. He's a winger and we're looking for wingers. He's a left hand shot and he plays right wing. What we like with our lineup is that we have flexibility."

The addition of Grigorenko gives the Avalanche another big center. He's 6-feet-3 and 209 pounds, and arrives on the same day that 6-3 Soderberg was signed to a five-year, $23.75 million contract. Grigorenko will be a restricted free agent Wednesday, but he obviously will receive a qualifying offer.

He had three goals, three assists, two penalty minutes and a minus-10 plus/minus rating in 25 games with the Sabres last season. He played 43 games with Rochester in the AHL and had 14 goals, 22 assists, 27 penalty minutes and a minus-5 rating.

Grigorenko, who was born in Khabarovski, Russia, played three seasons for Roy with Quebec in the QMJHL; he had 85 goals, 93 assists, 26 penalty minutes and a plus-60 rating in 115 games with the Remparts. He was Buffalo's first pick (No. 12) in 2012.

"He played for Patrick, his hockey IQ is really good and we can really use that on the power play," Sakic said.

Compher, who is from Northbrook, Ill., is 5-11 and 193 pounds. He had 12 goals, 12 assists, 40 penalty minutes and a minus-3 rating in 34 games as a sophomore at the University of Michigan. He was Big 10 Rookie of the Year in 2013-14 when he had 11 goals and 20 assists in 35 games. The Sabres made him a second-round pick (No. 35) in 2013.

"Our guys really liked him,"Sakic said. "He's captain this year at Michigan. He's a leader and he's a tenacious player who plays 200 feet."

O'Reilly, 24, is a solid two-way forward, but his asking price was much too high. I have to think the Sabres feel they can sign him long term, otherwise why give up three young players and a valuable draft pick?

McGinn, 26, missed most of last season because of back problems and underwent surgery Dec. 10. Hope he's fully recovered and ready for Sabres camp. Like O'Reilly, he's entering the final year of his contract.

On another note, Sakic said center Joey Hishon, a restricted free agent, will receive a qualifying offer but Jordan Caron won't. Caron didn't have a point in 30 NHL games last season, 19 of them with the Avalanche following his March 2 trade from Boston.



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