Ryan O’Reilly, a former forward for the Maple Leafs, talks on his decision not to re-sign with “Hockey’s Team.”
O’Reilly scored seven goals and dished out thirteen assists in 24 games (both regular season and postseason) for the Maple Leafs.
Ryan O’Reilly remembers his time as a Maple Leafs player with nostalgia.
Along with Noel Acciari, Toronto acquired the 32-year-old Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner in February to bolster the Maple Leafs’ squad heading into the postseason.
O’Reilly, who is from Ontario, felt that playing for the team he refers to as “hockey’s team” meant a lot to him, his teammates, and his family.
The seasoned striker did help the Maple Leafs overcome a setback by winning a playoff round. However, he and the group were unable to advance, losing to the Florida Panthers in five games in the end.
After the playoff exit, O’Reilly became an unrestricted free agent. Although he enjoyed playing for Toronto, the 32-year-old made the decision to leave the team in order to accept a four-year, $18 million contract with the Nashville Predators.
Before making his way back to Toronto this coming weekend, O’Reilly spoke with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on “Leafs Morning Take” about his experience playing for his hometown team and the factors that led him to take a contract elsewhere this past summer.
Being from Ontario, O’Reilly stated it was “so special” to play for the Maple Leafs.
As the most talked-about team in hockey, Toronto has the largest fan following, the veteran forward told Alberga and Rosehill. Every year, I hear from all of my friends on what’s good, what’s bad, the team, and everything else. And it was amazing to be able to play there afterwards. Although there is some pressure, it’s extremely unique to have the chance and truly appreciate it.”
Following last season, when O’Reilly announced he was leaving Toronto, there was a lot of discussion regarding the choice and what actually transpired. Above all, the 32-year-old’s greatest desire was to play a significant part in a squad.
“There’s so many things that went into that decision,” he stated. “I believe that Toronto is a location where it’s easy to kind of get buried when things don’t go well.
“I felt like I still had a lot of work ahead of me, and I wanted to make a bigger impact and play a bigger role. Nashville seemed like the right place for that, so I was able to make that work.” Even though there are a lot of benefits to playing in Toronto and the team is undoubtedly excellent, we thought this was a better fit.”
According to O’Reilly, he and his family “strongly considered” going back to Toronto for a spell. The 32-year-old did note, though, that although it was a great place to play, the spotlight was too much for him.
“Undoubtedly, it was a difficult choice,” he stated on Leafs Morning Take.
Still, he had always longed to have direct experience with it.
“The small town of Seaforth, Ontario, where I’m from is located about two and a half hours west of Toronto. I believe that everyone has always been there for me throughout my career, but O’Reilly added that as soon as he pulled on a Maple Leafs uniform, he was also representing the team.
“And it’s insane how people just kind of pop out of nowhere, stopping my family whenever they see them and trying to figure out line combinations and PK and all that kind of stuff. It’s absurd.
Fireworks are going off at York and Bremner after the Maple Leafs eliminate the Lightning pic.twitter.com/YoxYlrBzGr
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 30, 2023
“Seeing that firsthand and even this summer, returning there, the people, how much they just love it, love the Leafs and being a part of it, it’s like, so much more than just a game.” It was astounding to observe how much more than only hockey is involved.”
For the first time since suiting up for the team on Saturday night, the 32-year-old is back in Toronto. Furthermore, even if O’Reilly states that he will “definitely have a little extra in the tank,” it will still be out of character for him.
“When you look at numbers and the games I’ve played in Toronto, it wasn’t that many, but for me, it feels like I spent a lot of time there,” O’Reilly stated.
“The feelings of it all—winning a postseason series there and taking part in it. Even though it was brief, it had a significant impact on my career. It will therefore be unique. It’s always fun to return and play there because I grew up there and had a lot of family and friends there.”
Leave a Reply