A couple of months later, as you know, he signed with the Nashville Predators, putting an end to his journey with the Leafs.
In 13 games in Toronto, he scored 11 points, as well as 9 points in 11 playoff games.
He had success and received praise from fans, players, coaches and analysts. Why didn't he stay?
He was asked that same question in a recent interview and the answer is simple but efficient.
Toronto's market is hard and there's a lot of responsabilities that comes with it.
When you're good, you can instantly become a superstar.
That might not have pleased him.
Here's what he said:
In interviews during his time in Toronto, he mentionned many times how much attention he was getting since he joined the team and you could see how the pressure impacted him.
Even if Nashville is another big market, it doesn't compare to Toronto's. We wish him the best going forward in this new market.
POLL | ||
JUILLET 17 | 1613 ANSWERS Former Leaf Ryan O'Reilly reveals the real reason why he left Toronto Do you think O'Reilly will be successful in Nashville? | ||
Yes | 885 | 54.9 % |
No | 728 | 45.1 % |
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