It would be hard to argue that Ryan O’Reilly isn’t one of the top 30 centers in the National Hockey League. It would be even harder to argue that he wouldn’t slot immediately slot into the Montreal Canadiens number one center role if Marc Bergevin managed to pull off one of the many trade scenarios that saw him join the team.
Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic did a fantastic story (subscription required) that included Canadiens GM Bergevin opening up about trade negotiations with Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill for former Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly.