McKenzie: Avs' O'Reilly would "generate huge interest" on trade market

Bob McKenzie was on Vancouver’s TSN 1040 on Tuesday morning.

On what he’s hearing in terms of trade talk involving T.J. Oshie of the Blues or Ryan O’Reilly of the Avs:

“Only what I’ve read. I’m fortunate here. After the world juniors, I’ve only got a game on Friday night that I’ve got to do, otherwise I’ve probably got about the next six or seven days that I can have my training camp, if you will, for the second half of the season, where I can talk to all of the general managers and the coaches and try to get a handle on everything.

“The only thing I know of what’s going on in Colorado now is what I read over the Christmas break and there have been suggestions out of Denver that Ryan O’Reilly is available. And if he is, that’ll generate huge interest. It really will. Because the Avalanche aren’t having a great year. O’Reilly is not having a great year. And yet he’s one of those players who general managers really covet because they think he’s got a ridiculous hockey IQ, tremendous competitive instincts and does have the ability not to be a high-end offensive player, but to be a top-two line center that can play the 200-foot game as well as anybody in the NHL.

“So if he’s available, there would be substantial interest and the price would be extremely high, and Colorado would try to get out of the slump they’re in and they obviously need defensemen. There’s no question about that.”

Source: TSN 1040/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

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