Ryan O'Reilly blames Leafs' cup failures on key figures in the team

Ryan O'Reilly only played 13 regular season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they signed him before the 2022-23 trade deadline. He was able to collect 11 points in those games, and then also got nine more points in the team's 11 playoff games. The Leafs were finally able to get over that first round playoff hump when they moved on to the next round for the first time in over a decade. Fans were very shocked to find out he would not be returning the following season.

Dan Powers of The Empty Netters Podcast provided details as to why O'Reilly chose not to return to the team.

Ryan O'Reilly didn't specify which exact players were the problem, but clearly there are some problems within the organization.

Ryan O'Reilly captained the St. Louis Blues during their magical Stanley Cup run in 2018-19, and he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, so his comments should not be taken lightly. O'Reilly has earned the respect of his teammates and he is a true leader, so when he speaks, it is usually of importance.

Will Leafs GM Brad Treliving take Ryan O'Reilly's comments seriously and look into making changes? We might slowly be seeing a shift in culture, as it is expected that Auston Matthews will be named the new captain of the Leafs very shortly, so perhaps O'Reilly's comments were indirectly able to lead to this change.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Ryan O'Reilly allegedly states that a pair of current Leafs will never win a Cup

Source: HockeyDB
Ryan O'Reilly Stats