Restricted free agent forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Chris Kreider have successfully avoided arbitration as they have both agreed to multi-year deals with their respective teams Wednesday.
O’Reilly, 23, has signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche worth a total of $12 million. He will be paid $5.8 million this upcoming season and will receive $6.2 million in 2015-16.
The Clinton, Ontario native had a promising year for the Avs last season recording 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points in 80 games played. O’Reilly has spent his entire five-year NHL career with Colorado tallying 73 goals and 191 points over the course of 345 combined games in the league.
For general manager Greg Sherman, it’s relieving for the organization that they were able to settle on a deal with O’Reilly before risking it in the arbitration process. However, the primary goal of locking up the young forward long-term has still managed to elude them. O’Reilly will have the opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this new two-year contract.
Meanwhile, Kreider, a native of Massachusetts, has signed a two-year deal of his own with the New York Rangers worth $4.95 million. He will receive $2.35 million this season as well as $2.6 million in 2015-16.
The 23-year-old winger spent his first semi-full season in the NHL last year producing 17 goals and 20 assists for a total of 37 points in 66 games played for the Rangers. He was also a plus-14 over that span. Kreider played in 15 games during the team’s playoff run to the Stanley Cup putting up five goals and 13 points.
With New York still in the process of attempting to re-sign restricted free agents Derick Brassard and John Moore as well, Kreider’s new contract is what most would come to expect from a typical bridge deal. It will now be up to him to prove that he’s worth the money GM Glen Sather has rewarded him with.
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