Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson has grown to eloquently speak his mind, and in his first public comments about the Avalanche trading Ryan O’Reilly to Buffalo in June, Johnson spoke with authority.
“Management did a great job with the hand they were dealt,” Johnson said Thursday at the Pepsi Center, where veterans reported for training camp. “Ryan kind of put himself in a situation where he said he wanted to be here, but didn’t want to be here because of his contract demands.”
O’Reilly, 24, was seeking to become the youngest player making $8 million per season after scoring only 17 goals in 82 games last season. O’Reilly’s negotiation starting point was $64 million over eight years, a source said at the time, far surpassing any Avalanche player in amount and term.
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Center Matt Duchene, a Canadian Olympian, is Colorado’s highest-paid player at $6 million, and left wing/team captain Gabe Landeskog and newly acquired center Carl Soderberg have the longest terms, through 2019-20.
Landeskog, when told of Johnson’s comments about O’Reilly, said he saw it the same way.
“It was pretty clear for a long time,” Landeskog said. “There were some mixed messages. But to each is their own. I would have to agree with Erik. The most important thing is, our hockey team got better and that’s something the fans should be excited about.”
The Avs, who also sent forward Jamie McGinn to Buffalo in the O’Reilly trade, received two young Sabres — forward Mikhail Grigorenko and defenseman Nikita Zadorov — plus two prospects, including University of Michigan captain J.T. Compher. The other prospect became Boston University forward A.J. Greer, who was the 39th draft selection in June. The trade originally included Buffalo’s 31st pick, but the Avs traded it for No. 39 and two future picks including a second-rounder next summer.
“We got some great players in return for him,” Johnson said of O’Reilly, who was fifth in goal scoring for Colorado last season. “We wish him well, but we’re really happy with the guys that we got. That’s kind of out of the way, and not a distraction.”
O’Reilly, who is under contract this season for $6.2 million — part of the two-year, $12 million deal he signed with the Avs in 2014 — agreed to a seven-year, $52.5 million extension with the Sabres.
“Ryan was a good teammate, and I enjoyed playing with him,” Landeskog said. “For whatever reason, it didn’t work out. That’s not up to me to decide.
“But we’re excited to have Grigorenko and Zadorov in our dressing room and excited to have two young players who have huge potential in this league. That’s the exciting part. You’re always going to be sad to see teammates go, but it’s part of the business, and long term I think this will be good for us.”
Avs forward Nathan MacKinnon, 20, was one of O’Reilly’s best friends. MacKinnon said this about the trade: “It always (stinks) to see a good friend go. He was a good player for us. It didn’t work out. Sometimes those things happen. It’s part of the business.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
