Rangers unlikely to make offer to O’Reilly

February 15, 2013   New York Rangers   917 views

The Rangers have checked in on Ryan O’Reilly, but are very unlikely to pursue a deal for Colorado’s unsigned restricted free-agent center, The Post has learned.

It is not the yet undetermined cost in assets that the Blueshirts — whose three-game winning streak ended with Thursday night’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders at the Garden — would have to send to the Avalanche in order to acquire the 22-year-old pivot, but rather O’Reilly’s asking price for a contract that is discouraging a pursuit by general manager Glen Sather.

O’Reilly, who recorded 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) a year ago in the third and final season of his Entry Level contract, has rejected Colorado’s two-year offer of $3.5 million per that the Rangers would be hard pressed to improve upon, let alone match, given the team’s looming cap crunch for next season. O’Reilly also has rejected offers of up to five years with a slightly lower annual average salary.

 The Rangers made it a policy, beginning in 2008-09 with Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky and continuing this year with Michael Del Zotto, to sign restricted free agents lacking salary arbitration rights to two-year “bridge” deals.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/blueshirts_unlikely_to_make_offer_R4TiUkMs6m8t18w51TAc2N