Ryan O'Reilly signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators despite interest from the Maple Leafs to retain the forward.

Ryan O'Reilly says there are many reasons he elected to sign a four-year, $18 million contract with the Nashville Predators earlier this month.

When speaking to the media on July 1, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving dismissed the notion that the veteran forward left because of the culture in the room and instead said that playing in the spotlight of Toronto "isn't for everybody."

O'Reilly was a guest on First Up on TSN 1050 with Aaron Korolnek and former O'Reilly teammate Carlo Colaiacovo and Korolnek asked the Predators forward if the 'spotlight' was a reason he decided to move on from the Maple Leafs.

"It wasn't the ultimate decision there. I think so many things come into play, but yeah I think that is a factor as well," O'Reilly replied. "It is different. It is something I did enjoy for the time there but I just felt it was better to be somewhere else."

"There are so many great things that do come with that though. I think that team is amazing and with the pieces they added this year, they're going to be right there contending for it. It is an amazing place. But like anywhere there are two sides to it."

The Maple Leafs acquired O'Reilly on Feb. 18 as part of a trade that saw Noel Acciari also land in Toronto in exchange for a package that included first, second and third-round draft picks. Acciari signed a three-year, $6 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1.

The 32-year-old O'Reilly quickly filled a need for some depth at the center and top-six positions. He primarily played as the third-line center with some shifts as the second-line center or second-line winger spot in a very short-lived experiment with John Tavares playing on the wing.

The Maple Leafs won a playoff round for the first time with O'Reilly on the team, defending the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, but fell in five games to the Florida Panthers.

O'Reilly, a native of Clinton, Ontario, was complimentary of both the team and the city for his brief time with the Leafs.

"It was incredible. I couldn't have gone to a better place. The way the organization is, the Yankees of the NHL, it was an amazing time," O'Reilly said. It was such an amazing experience, being from Ontario and playing for all my friends' favourite teams, it was amazing.

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