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Buffalo Sabres Sign Ryan O’Reilly To Extension

By Melissa Kania

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Just one week ago, Buffalo Sabres fans were saying “Welcome to Buffalo, Ryan O’Reilly,” as the Sabres acquired O’Reilly, along with Avalanche teammate Jamie McGinn, via trade.

Now, Buffalo Sabres fans are saying “Welcome to Buffalo; won’t you stay awhile?”

Stay awhile, he certainly will, as the Buffalo Sabres announced that they signed O’Reilly to a seven-year contract extension on Friday — just mere days after the team acquired him in the trade.

The contract is said to be worth $52.5 million over seven years, with a cap hit of $7.5 million per year.

Suffice to say that Ryan O’Reilly will be wearing the blue and gold for some time; the extension carries him through the 2022-2023 season. At 24 now, he’ll be 32 before it ends.

To me, the fact that he wanted to sign an extension so quickly after joining the organization speaks volumes. O’Reilly can clearly see the direction where the Sabres are headed and wants to help lead the team to a Stanley Cup someday, with the help of young prospects, other big-name additions like Evander Kane, and a front office staff like Tim Murray and Terry Pegula.

So — why don’t we learn just a little bit more about one of the newest members of the Buffalo Sabres?

  • O’Reilly hails from Clinton, Ontario — a roughly three-hour drive from Buffalo, about 169 miles. That’s not too bad when you consider that his previous home in Denver would be about a 20-hour drive, or 1,402 miles.
  • Entered the 2009 NHL Entry Draft ranked 39th overall by NHL Central Scouting.
  • He was drafted 33rd overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Other players drafted near him: Mikko Koskinen (NYI, 31); Landon Ferraro (DET, 32); Carl Klingberg (ATL, 34) and Kyle Clifford (LAK, 35).

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  • Also drafted in the second round in 2009: Robin Lehner, new Sabres netminder, 46th overall by the Ottawa Senators.
  • Leads all 2009 second-round draft picks with 440 games of NHL experience between 2009-2015 (playoffs and regular season). Comparatively, Koskinen has 4 games; Ferraro has 7. Klingberg has 12, while Clifford comes closest with 356.
  • Former Erie Otters forward; played in Erie from 2007 until 2009 and put up 143 points in 134 games. He was the first-overall selection in the 2007 OHL Draft and won both Otters’ Rookie of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike Player after the 2007-08 season.
  • Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy after the 2013-2014 NHL season after accruing just two penalty minutes in 80 regular season games. Overall, has just 66 penalty minutes in his NHL career.
  • Set a career-high in assists (38) this past season.
  • O’Reilly is one of three hockey players in his family, as both his brother Cal O’Reilly and sister Tara O’Reilly have played the sport.
  • Represented Canada at the 2008 U-18 World Championships, 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and Team Ontario at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
  • Generally plays center, but was moved to wing for the 2013-14 season, when he led the NHL in takeaways (83) and set a career-high in goals (28).

How will O’Reilly fare in Buffalo? Who knows for sure, but with this new extension, he’ll have plenty of time to get settled, that’s for sure.

Next: Sabres Buy Out Hodgson

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