Ryan O'Reilly Traded To The Buffalo Sabres

And just like that, it’s over. Ryan O’Reilly is reportedly being shipped to the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster deal, thus ending the saga between him and Avalanche management over the past couple of seasons.

The recent acquisition of Carl Soderberg and hefty contract demands of O’Reilly seemed to make this result inevitable, and the Avalanche will move forward without their Selke calibre centerman.

Full deal is O’Reilly/McGinn for Zadorov/Grigorenko/Compher and 31. Done like the hair on the top of my head.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 26, 2015

Overall, this is a solid return for the Avalanche. Nikita Zadorov gives the Avalanche a 20-year-old Russian left-handed defenseman, who projects as a top-four guy. As the centerpiece of this deal, the Avalanche have to hope he will soon play big minutes with Erik Johnson or Tyson Barrie.

The Avalanche also get Mikhail Grigorenko, a 21-year-old Russian winger, who formerly played under Patrick Roy with the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL. JT Compher rounds out the players coming to the Avalanche, an energetic center who just completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. The Avs also acquire the 31st overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft.

O’Reilly will team up with Jack Eichel, providing the Sabres with a strong 1-2 punch up the middle for the next decade. The Sabres also acquire rugged winger Jamie McGinn from the Avalanche. McGinn was a fan favorite in Denver, but missed most of last season with a back injury.

The deal frees up a significant chunk of cap space for the Avalanche, which can be used to target free agents on July first, and also will come in handy with Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, and Nathan MacKinnon due for big raises within the next year.