Ryan O’Reilly traded to Buffalo

First we heard that O’Reilly was likely to be traded.  Then GM Joe Sakic said they wanted to keep him.

Now we finally have an answer: Ryan O’Reilly is now a Buffalo Sabre.

The Avs shipped Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn to Buffalo in exchange for the Sabres’ first round draft picks from 2012 and 2013, their second round draft pick from 2013, and the #31 pick in this year’s draft.

Colorado picked up a big defender In Nikita Zadorov that they sorely needed.

I think this is a great trade for both clubs.

ESPN shares more on the newly acquired Avs players:

Zadorov was Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2013. He appeared in 60 games as a rookie for the Sabres last season, when he had three goals, 12 assists and 51 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman gives the Avs a big defensive presence they’ve been looking for.

Grigorenko was Buffalo’s first-round draft pick in 2012 and appeared in 25 games for the Sabres last season. Compher, 20, was a second-round pick by Buffalo in 2013 and just completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, where he had 24 points in 34 games.

He was the Big Ten rookie of the year as a freshman, when he had 31 points in 35 games.

Photo courtesy of Sergei Scurfield.