Leafs' O'Reilly: 'I don’t think I created enough' in playoffs

Toronto Maple Leafs trade deadline acquisition Ryan O'Reilly was disappointed with his postseason performance as he spoke to reporters Monday during the team's end-of-season media availability.

"I don't think I created enough out there," O'Reilly said, according to The Hockey News' David Alter. "It's disappointing."

The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner scored three goals and registered nine points in 11 playoff games with Toronto. After a strong start with seven points in the opening four games of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, O'Reilly tallied just one goal and two points in the Maple Leafs' final seven games.

Toronto traded a 2023 first-round pick, three other draft picks, prospect Mikhail Abramov, and depth forward Adam Gaudette to acquire O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in February.

O'Reilly sustained a broken finger late in the regular season that forced him to miss 14 games. He clarified that his finger felt fine in the playoffs and that he was not dealing with a big injury, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

A pending unrestricted free agent, O'Reilly also addressed whether he'd consider re-signing with the Maple Leafs.

"Yeah, absolutely," O'Reilly said. "I'm still reflecting on the loss, and coming forward here I have a lot to think about what I plan to do. This organization is incredible.

"I'm so thankful I was able to be brought into it. Obviously, sorry we couldn't get the result we wanted, but just to be part of this organization was an amazing thing. I'll have some decisions to make going forward."

The Maple Leafs are projected to have just under $7.5 million in cap space heading into the offseason, per to CapFriendly. O'Reilly's coming off of a seven-year contract that had a $7.5-million cap hit with the Buffalo Sabres.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.