Will the St. Louis Blues Shop Ryan O'Reilly in the New Year?

The rumor mill suggests the St. Louis Blues could listen to offers for Ryan O'Reilly in 2023. Who would be a good fit, and how easy would it be to trade him?

The fate of St. Louis Blues forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko has frequently surfaced in this season's rumor mill. With the calendar soon flipping to 2023, some pundits wonder if O'Reilly could be shopped before the March 3 trade deadline.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported there's an expectation among several clubs that the Blues could listen to offers for O'Reilly in the new year. The 31-year-old center and captain is in the final season of a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $7.5 million. He's eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. 

LeBrun believes the Toronto Maple Leafs management has internally discussed O'Reilly. He also thinks he'd be a good fit with the Colorado Avalanche. Eric Duhatschek shared that opinion, pointing out O'Reilly was drafted by Colorado and spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Avalanche.

O'Reilly has struggled this season with just 15 points in 32 games. However, he remains well-respected around the league for his leadership and two-way skills. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2019 helping the Blues win their first Stanley Cup and also took home the Selke Trophy that season.

Cap Friendly indicates O'Reilly lacks no-trade protection, giving the Blues a wide field of potential suitors. If they do entertain offers, however, they could give their captain his choice of destinations.

The structure of O'Reilly's salary for this season could also be a factor. He's earning $6 million in actual salary, but $5 million of that was already paid out as a signing bonus at the start of the season.