To the surprise of many, negotiations between Ryan O’Reilly and the Colorado Avalanche are dragging on deep into the summer.
Adrian Dater explains that O’Reilly’s reps Newport Sports Agency can drive a hard bargain, but he thinks that O’Reilly is unlikely to hold out of training camp.
Whenever that might begin.
If training camp starts on time (more on that in the second half of this blog) I would still put the chance at about one percent that O’Reilly wouldn’t be there at the start. I just don’t think he’s the type of guy who would engage in a holdout situation. That said, he’s a client of Newport Sports, and Newport Sports is going to be counseling him on what is acceptable, in their view, to take on his next contract. Bottom line: something will get done.
O’Reilly’s breakout season is a big reason why negotiations are dragging on, but it’s also why Colorado is excited about the rising young talent.
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