St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the Blues have acquired center Ryan O’Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forwards Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson, as well as a first-round pick in 2019 and a second-round pick in 2021.
O’Reilly, 27, was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche (No. 33 overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 216-pound center appeared in 81 games with Buffalo, tallying 61 points (24 goals and 37 assists).
O’Reilly is a four-time 20-goal scorer and has recorded 55 or more points in six seasons, including each of the last five. In 2013-14, he logged a career-high 64 points while only serving two penalty minutes, earning the 2014 Lady Byng Trophy. In 2015-16, O’Reilly was selected to the NHL All-Star Game before finishing the year with a career-best 39 assists and 60 points.
Overall, O’Reilly is a veteran of nine NHL seasons, including six with the Colorado Avalanche and three with Buffalo. He has posted 422 points, including 155 goals and 267 assists, in 651 career regular season games, as well as seven points (three goals, four assists) in 13 career postseason games.
Internationally, the Clinton, Ontario native is a three-time gold medalist with Team Canada. O’Reilly captured gold in back-to-back years at the 2015 and 2016 IIHF World Championships, totaling 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 20 combined tournament games. He also earned gold at the 2017 World Cup of Hockey, where he dressed in six games. That same year, O’Reilly collected nine points (six goals, three assists) in 10 games at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, capturing a silver medal.
Additionally, O’Reilly has represented Canada at the 2012, 2013 and 2018 IIHF World Championships.
Berglund, 30, was originally drafted by the Blues (No. 25 overall) in the 2006 NHL Draft. In 10 seasons with the Blues, the 6-foot-4, 219-pound forward collected 322 points (168 goals, 154 assists) and 242 penalty minutes in 694 regular season games. Berglund is a native of Vasteras, Sweden.
Sobotka, 30, originally joined the Blues via trade from the Boston Bruins on June 26, 2010. Across nine NHL seasons, including six with the Blues, the 5-foot-10, 184-pound forward has tallied 155 points (47 goals, 108 assists) in 463 regular season games. Sobotka is a native of Trebic, Czech Republic.
Thompson, 20, was originally drafted by the Blues (No. 26 overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. Last season, his first in the NHL, the 6-fot-5, 205-pound forward recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in 41 regular season games. The Phoenix, Arizona native also posted 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 30 regular season games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) San Antonio Rampage.
