Ryan O'Reilly addresses persistent trade rumours in latest interview

There has been so much said about it that it almost seems like a forgone conclusion that St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly will end up in another jersey before the season is done. The 31-year-old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and with St. Louis facing the possibility of missing the playoffs, O'Reilly's name has been linked to several other teams as they gear up for potential deep post season runs. That all said, in a new interview, O'Reilly said he doesn't want to go anywhere.

"This is where I want to be," said O'Reilly when asked about the possibility of a trade in the near future. "I hope I don't get moved, but I think things will probably progress, especially with the deadline coming up and the talks with that. We'll see how it goes. We're starting to get into that."

O'Reilly is currently nursing a foot injury and expects to spend another week or so on the sidelines. He said he's still getting messages from friends about potential trades.

"I still get messages from buddies every time — you're rumored to this team, you're rumored to that team," O'Reilly said. "It's honestly in one ear and out the other at this point. If anything, it's a distraction, and I don't want it to be a distraction for the team. You hear stuff, but like I said, in one ear, out the other."

As for the rumours, O'Reilly admits they wouldn't be as persistent if his numbers and his team's were better this year.

"If things were going well and we were winning, I think things would be much different for myself personally, but as a group, too."

O'Reilly's contract does not have a no trade clause, so the team is free to move him to whomever offers the best deal. O'Reilly said he's willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Blues, but it wouldn't be too deep.

"Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I want to make it work, but I also want to hold my value, too. At the end of the day, it is a business, and if we can't succeed, and you can't do the job as a leader, then I could (see) them getting rid of me," he said.

"So I've got to protect myself. I don't know (contract) numbers and such. Obviously, the way we're performing this year, the (salary) expectation will be much lower, but I still believe in myself, that I can be a very impactful player. I hope I'm here and we have success for many years to come."

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