On July 1, 2018, the St. Louis Blues made a major trade with the Buffalo Sabres to acquire Ryan O’Reilly, a move they hoped would push them over the top in their quest for the Stanley Cup. In exchange, the Blues sent Tage Thompson, a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2019, a second-round pick in 2021, and veterans Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund to Buffalo.
In the short term, the trade paid immediate dividends for St. Louis. O’Reilly delivered a stellar debut season, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward and earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs while leading the Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship. He was later named team captain in 2020 following Alex Pietrangelo’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights in free agency.
However, O’Reilly’s time in St. Louis didn’t end on a high note. As the Blues fell out of championship contention, the front office chose to shift directions and traded him for future assets. O’Reilly spent four and a half memorable seasons with the Blues, leaving a lasting impact on the franchise. Now, seven years after the trade, it’s worth revisiting all the components of the deal to evaluate which team ultimately came out ahead.
What the Blues Got
From the Blues’ perspective, the original deal with Buffalo brought in only one player: Ryan O’Reilly. However, his impact was enormous. Over four and a half seasons in St. Louis, O’Reilly played 327 games, scoring 97 goals and 269 points while playing elite defensive hockey—earning the Selke Trophy in 2019. Most importantly, he was instrumental in helping the Blues win their first-ever Stanley Cup. Though he was the sole return from the Sabres, the story didn’t end there, as the Blues were able to flip him for future assets when they traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In that deal, the Blues sent O’Reilly and Noel Acciari to Toronto in exchange for Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick, Ottawa’s 2023 third-round pick, and Toronto’s 2024 second-rounder. Abramov spent a season and a half with AHL Springfield before returning to Russia to play for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, though the Blues still retain his NHL rights. Gaudette, despite strong AHL performances, only appeared in two games for the Blues before signing with the Ottawa Senators the following summer.
Using the 2023 first-round pick from Toronto, the Blues selected Swedish center Otto Stenberg. After two seasons in the SHL, Stenberg joined the Thunderbirds in North America, posting five goals and 17 points in 38 games. He remains a promising prospect, though he’s likely still a year or two away from making the NHL roster.
The third-rounder from Ottawa was used to draft winger Juraj Pekarčík. After a year in the USHL, he moved to the QMJHL and shined with 24 goals and 67 points in 53 games for the Moncton Wildcats. His strong playoff performance (9 goals, 21 points in 19 games) helped Moncton capture the league title, and he’s emerging as a potential mid-round gem—though time will tell if his production translates to the NHL.
The Blues used the 2024 second-round pick from Toronto to select defenseman Lukas Fischer. A big, mobile blueliner and captain of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, Fischer recorded 15 goals and 37 points in 51 games before joining the Thunderbirds late in the season. Though he’s still developing, his presence in the AHL will allow Blues fans to track his progress more closely.
While the Blues only received O’Reilly in the initial trade, his legacy and the assets gained through his eventual trade to Toronto have given the organization a long-term return that’s still taking shape.
What the Sabres Received
The Sabres received a substantial return for Ryan O’Reilly—though not all of it panned out. Veterans Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka had been solid contributors for the Blues, but their time in Buffalo was short-lived and underwhelming. Berglund played just 23 games before choosing to return to Sweden to continue his career in the SHL. Sobotka lasted longer, appearing in 85 games and tallying 16 points before signing with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in Switzerland.
With the Blues’ 2019 first-round pick, Buffalo selected defenseman Ryan Johnson. While Johnson has seen some NHL time, he has yet to lock down a full-time role, spending most of this past season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he recorded 13 points in 66 games.
The 2021 second-rounder from St. Louis didn’t stay with Buffalo long either. The Sabres packaged it with a 2022 fifth-round pick in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire defenseman Colin Miller. Miller went on to play parts of three seasons with the Sabres before leaving in free agency to join the Dallas Stars.
But the true centerpiece of Buffalo’s return was Tage Thompson. A promising but inconsistent forward during his time with the Blues, Thompson blossomed into a star with the Sabres. After a few seasons of development, he broke out in 2021–22 with 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games. He followed that up with an even more impressive 47-goal, 94-point season, proving he was no one-hit wonder. Over his last four seasons, Thompson has totaled 168 goals and cemented himself as a legitimate 40-goal threat each year. He also shined internationally, scoring the overtime game-winner at the IIHF World Championship to help Team USA capture its first gold medal in 92 years.
While the trade helped the Blues achieve the ultimate goal—winning the Stanley Cup in 2019—Thompson’s emergence may leave fans in St. Louis wondering “what if?” Had they been more patient, he might have formed a dynamic core alongside Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. In hindsight, the deal gave the Blues short-term glory, but the Sabres may end up with the longer-lasting superstar.
Final Verdict: Win-Win or Missed Opportunity?
Looking back seven years after the trade, it’s difficult to declare a definitive winner. For the St. Louis Blues, the move was exactly what they needed at the time. With an aging core and a clear “win-now” mindset, acquiring Ryan O’Reilly gave the team the top-line center it lacked. His impact was immediate and monumental—without O’Reilly, the Blues almost certainly don’t win their first Stanley Cup in 2019. That alone justifies the trade from St. Louis’s perspective. Furthermore, when it became clear the team was no longer a contender, the Blues wisely flipped O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs and secured a package that could accelerate their retooling. Prospects like Otto Stenberg, Juraj Pekarčík, and Lukas Fischer all carry promise, but it’s still early in their development to know how much of an impact they’ll have at the NHL level.
For Buffalo, the results are more mixed. Veterans Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka barely made an impact, and neither could be flipped for future value. Ryan Johnson, taken with the 2019 first-round pick, remains a work in progress. Colin Miller gave them some decent minutes on the back end but departed via free agency. But the trade’s crown jewel for the Sabres is clearly Tage Thompson. Once a raw, inconsistent forward, Thompson has emerged as one of the league’s premier goal scorers. If he can continue to produce at an elite level and help lead the Sabres out of their long playoff drought, he could single-handedly tip the scales in Buffalo’s favor.
Still, there’s uncertainty surrounding whether the Sabres will fully capitalize on Thompson’s prime. Meanwhile, St. Louis can take comfort in the fact that their gamble directly resulted in the franchise’s first Stanley Cup—a moment that will be remembered forever. Even if they sometimes wonder how Thompson might have fit alongside a young core featuring Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Dalibor Dvorský, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Dylan Holloway, it’s hard to imagine they truly regret a move that brought a championship to the city.
