The NHL offseason is about to begin with the conclusion of the 2023 Stanley Cup final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.
Ryan O’Reilly and Alex DeBrincat are two of the former Erie Otters who will have the attention of the National Hockey League’s 32 franchises over the days and weeks that follow.
Along with the NHL draft June 28-29, teams will ponder which free agents to sign or not sign.
More: Erie’s Terrance takes part in the NHL combine ahead of the draft. How many Otters could be drafted?
Here’s a look at former Otters on the free-agent market:
Ryan O’Reilly
Free agency officially begins July 1. However, unrestricted free agents are permitted to sign with their current team before then. Restricted free agents must wait, though.
Restricted free agents are players whose initial entry-level contracts have come to an end but have yet to reach unrestricted free-agency status (seven years of service or the age of 25, whichever comes first). During this time, their rights are still held by their team, which has the right to match any offers.
That means O’Reilly could conceivably return to the Toronto Maple Leafs before the end of this month.
O’Reilly, 32, is best known as the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient for the 2019 Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
The centerman also skated for Colorado and Buffalo, which originally signed the Otters’ first overall pick in the 2007 OHL draft to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract.
The Maple Leafs acquired O’Reilly from the Blues during this past season. He compiled a combined 16 goals and 30 points and upped his career total to 256 goals and 702 points over 14 seasons.
O’Reilly, a native of Clinton, Ontario, indicated his desire to return to the Leafs during a recent interview with a Toronto radio station. The following day, his comments were quoted in a dailyhive.com article.
“It definitely is something very special (to play in Toronto),” O’Reilly said. “We’ll (see if) everything works out and (we can) get something done. But, yeah, to be a Leaf and experience that (last season), it’s such a different thing that I wish every guy in the league got that kind of experience.”
“It’s more than just a game here. It’s something really above and beyond.”
O’Reilly spent two seasons with the Otters, 2007-09, collecting 35 goals and 83 assists.
Alex DeBrincat
DeBrincat, 25, is a restricted free agent and one year away from unrestricted free agency. The right winger played for the 2022-23 Senators after five seasons with Chicago.
DeBrincat originally signed a three-year, $19.2 deal with the Blackhawks. He scored 160 of his 187 career goals while in the Windy City.
Ottawa traded Chicago two 2022 draft picks to acquire DeBrincat last season.
However, Tab Bamford, who covers the NHL for bleachernation.com, said in a June 5 article that the Senators could take DeBrincat to arbitration this summer ahead of his impending free agency after next season. Ottawa is also seeking new owners, which boosts the odds he could be traded before that happens.
“Ottawa is undoubtedly going to hope to recoup some of the premium assets they gave up to get DeBrincat last summer,” Bamford said. “And, with just one year remaining before he can hit (unrestricted free agent) status, there’s no guarantee DeBrincat won’t prefer to at least test those waters instead of signing a long-term extension now.”
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DeBrincat was a scoring machine with the Otters from 2014-17, registering three 100-point seasons with an OHL career of 167 goals and 165 assists.
Jamie Drysdale, Travis Dermott and Maxim Golod are other restricted free agents who formerly wore Erie sweaters.
Jamie Drysdale
The Anaheim Ducks selected Drysdale, 21, with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. The defenseman concluded his entry-level contract on a down note, as he only played eight games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery.
Should Drysdale return to Anaheim, he’ll do so with a franchise that hasn’t qualified for the NHL playoffs since 2017-18. He’d also do so with Greg Cronin as his next coach.
Jordan Reinhardt of thehockeywriters.com mentioned Drysdale in his June 10 column on the Ducks’ current state.
“Assuming (general manager Pat Verbeek) re-signs Drysdale, Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras,” he said, “Cronin will then have the tall task of getting the most out of these guys. Each of them has a dynamic, game-breaking talent, but it’s worth very little if it doesn’t make the team better.”
Drysdale didn’t record a goal or assist during last season’s cameo with the Ducks. He recorded seven goals and 33 assists over his previous two. He played for the Otters from 2018-20 and finished with 16 goals and 71 assists.
Travis Dermott
Dermott, also a defenseman, seeks a new deal after his two-year, $3 million deal ended with the Vancouver Canucks. The former Otter broke into the league with the 2017-18 Maple Leafs.
Since then, Dermott has recorded 14 goals and 55 points. He only skated in 11 games last season due to a diagnosed concussion he suffered during a preseason practice.
Dermott, 26, discussed his situation with Vancouver hockey reporter Daniel Wagner. The comments from Wagner’s article appeared in yardbarker.com published May 8.
“Your play is crutched so hard when you’re feeling that way. That you’re not feeling fully safe out there,” Dermott said. “You can’t make the plays that make you the hockey player that you are. It comes to a point where you’ve got to take your confidence and ego out of it and just take care of yourself.”
Dermott suited up for the Otters from 2013-16 and collected 17 goals and 99 assists.
Maxim Golod
Golod, 22, signed with Anaheim as a free agent three years ago. The left winger, who played for Erie from 2017-20, compiling 54 goals and 92 assists, was traded to Chicago on March 2.
However, Golod still awaits his initial NHL shift. Last season, he split minor-league action between the San Diego Gulls and the Indy Fuel.
Besides O’Reilly, Brown is the only other unrestricted free agent who used to play for Erie.
Brown, 29, broke into the league with Toronto in 2015. The right winger signed a three-year, $10.8 million contract with Ottawa in 2019.
After two seasons as a Senator, Brown played four games with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in an injury-shortened 2022-23 season. He recorded no points.
Brown played for the Otters from 2011-14, totaling 98 goals and 152 assists.
Contact Mike Copper at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Former Erie Otters O’Reilly, DeBrincat sought after NHL free agents