Lightning Secure Future Third-Line Center

The Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning executed an exciting prospect trade. The Oilers landed Isaac Howard, a talented winger ready to leap to the NHL. The Lightning acquired center Sam O’Reilly, Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2024.

In the immediate aftermath, the Oilers appear to be the winners of the trade. While the Lightning may have parted with the better player in the deal, they also secured the organization’s future third-line center.

How exactly is that a win for the Lightning, you may ask? Firstly, there’s a lot to like about the player they just acquired. Sam O’Reilly is not a flashy scorer like Howard, that is for certain. O’Reilly is, however, one of the most tenacious defending forwards outside of the NHL. He is a mastermind in the defensive zone, always in position and relentless in his puck pursuit. To describe him as an agitating and difficult player to compete against would be an understatement.

Secondly, the offense is developing. During his draft year, he recorded 20 goals and 56 points in 68 games. He improved across the board in his post-draft campaign, accumulating 28 goals and 43 assists for 71 points in 62 contests. One of the main ways he found more production was staying near the net. Improving his hand-eye coordination and reaction time to corral rebounds and deflect pucks, he's become a much more dangerous player in the offensive zone.

O’Reilly has a lot of traits that are reminiscent of another Lightning player that became a key piece in their Stanley Cup run - Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli’s draft evaluations are similar, describing him as a hard working and slick skating player who can be effective in all three zones but must improve in key areas. By focusing on his defensive game and forechecking abilities, he quickly made his way up from the AHL to the NHL and became a top-six forward capable of killing penalties and scoring 25 goals.

That’s the ceiling for O’Reilly. Just 19 years old, he has another season in the OHL to further fine tune his game. If he can take another step offensively, he will be continuing on a trajectory that could land him the third-line center job in Tampa Bay.