Snapshots: O’Reilly, Coyotes, Canucks, Kravtsov

The Sabres are currently seeking a first-round pick, a second-rounder, and a good prospect if they are to move center Ryan O’Reilly, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (video link).  They were seeking the third-overall selection from Montreal at the draft last week but that was a move that the Canadiens weren’t willing to make and they weren’t able to acquire an additional first-rounder to include instead.  Despite not getting a deal done, Montreal remains interested and they are willing to pay his $7.5MM signing bonus that is owed on Sunday.  Meanwhile, the Blues also are interested and LeBrun classifies them as the current frontrunner for O’Reilly’s services.  However, their preference appears to be to wait until July 2nd passes before making a deal.  However, it has been previously reported that Buffalo’s asking price will go up if that is indeed what happens.

More from around the league:

• The Coyotes are hoping to add some wingers this summer, GM John Chayka told Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. If Arizona intends to use the recently-acquired Alex Galchenyuk at center, there is at the very least a void to fill to replace Max Domi.  Generally speaking, they may want to simply add some veterans on the wing as their four top scoring wingers from 2017-18 are all on their entry-level contracts.
• Securing help at center is a priority for the Canucks this summer and the team has already reached out to representatives for Tyler Bozak and Riley Nash, reports Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma, who adds that Jay Beagle and Derek Ryan may also be of interest to the team. The retirement of Henrik Sedin has left a void inside their top six at that position and while the team certainly hopes that Elias Pettersson will one day fill that spot, their preference is to start him on the wing so a short-term stopgap solution seems like a good way to go.  However, Bozak is among the top players of the second tier of that position on the open market so there’s a good chance he’ll be seeking a lot more than just a short-term contract.
• The Rangers plan to meet with the agent for first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov later this week to explore possible options to get the winger out of the final year of his KHL contract, notes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. The ninth-overall selection back on Friday has already publicly indicated that his preference is to play in North America in 2018-19 and although he’s still just 18, he would be eligible to play at the AHL level next season.