Roy would be 'surprised' if Avalanche trade O'Reilly

Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly is often mentioned in trade rumors with the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2 at 3 p.m. approaching.

Avalanche coach Patrick Roy did his best to quell those rumors Thursday during his weekly interview with 104.3 The Fan in Denver. O'Reilly is signed through the end of next season with a $6 million NHL salary-cap charge, and Roy said he doesn't see him going anywhere.

"I have a lot of trust in him and I'd be very surprised if we do a trade with Ryan O'Reilly," Roy said. "It's not our intention to move Ryan O'Reilly. Actually we'd love to see Ryan O'Reilly be an Avalanche for a long time. Joe [Sakic] has spoken to [O'Reilly's] agent in the last few days and, yes, we'd like to have Ryan signing a long-term deal.

"I don't see how we can trade a guy like him right now, quite honestly. He's part of the core of the team. We like him a lot."

O'Reilly has 10 goals and 35 points in 61 games.