Maple Leafs GM on Ryan O'Reilly Trade: 'We're Trying to Win, and That's the Message'
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas made it clear Saturday that the acquisition of forward Ryan O'Reilly from the St. Louis Blues was a move meant to aid in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
After news of the Maple Leafs trading for O'Reilly broke Friday night, Dubas told reporters:
"The team has been in the top five in the standings [before]; we're there again this year. When you're there, your goal I think has to be that you're trying to win. And if you're trying to win, you're trying to win the Stanley Cup. We're trying to win, and that's the message. Anything short of that, we'll all be disappointed."
Along with O'Reilly, the Maple Leafs also acquired forward Noel Acciari while sending their own 2023 first-round pick, the Ottawa Senators' 2023 third-round pick, their own 2024 second-round pick and forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette to St. Louis.
The Minnesota Wild also got involved in the trade as a third team, taking on 25 percent of O'Reilly's salary and receiving a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Leafs. The Wild also sent minor league forward Josh Pillar to Toronto.
This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.
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