According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs were interested in acquiring Ryan O'Reilly from Nashville, but the veteran forward rejected the idea.
As the Leafs continue to search for an upgrade down the middle, Elliotte Friedman reported late Thursday night on the NHL Network that the Leafs checked in with the Predators about a potential reunion with O'Reilly, but were given a very blunt response from O'Reilly. It's not going to happen.
"Even though he doesn't have a no-move clause, the Predators are treating it like he does. They won't trade him unless it's a big offer and unless he agrees to it. I think Toronto looked into O'Reilly and I think they were told he didn't have an interest in that reunion."
While O'Reilly would be an ideal fit for the Leafs to secure their depth at center, his deal carries another two years at a $4.5M cap hit. Similar to an aging Brayden Schenn, it appears as though fans would prefer not trading the likes of Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan, Ben Danford or their 2026 first-round pick for an aging and slowing veteran.
O'Reilly joins Yanni Gourde and Brock Nelson as centre targets that won't be joining the Leafs ahead of Friday's 3:00pm ET deadline. As the number of available centres is dwindling, it seems inevitable that one of Scott Laughton or Brayden Schenn will be a Maple Leaf come Friday afternoon.