Maple Leafs 'energized' by GM's big swing to land O'Reilly before trade deadline

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is in near-constant communication with his head coach.

When the messages started to dry up Friday afternoon and into the early evening, Sheldon Keefe had an inkling there could be news coming down the pipe.

"I know Kyle well enough now," said Keefe, who has been joined at his GM's hip professionally for more than a decade. "When he gets quiet, I have a pretty good sense some things are happening."

And happen they did.

Dubas took part in some late-night shopping Friday — the trade was announced shortly before 11 p.m. ET — acquiring centres Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in a blockbuster deal that left little doubt his Leafs are going for broke in 2023.

The swap gives Toronto a significant boost, especially on the defensive side of the puck, to a forward group already led by offensive dynamos Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

O'Reilly helped St. Louis capture the Stanley Cup in 2019 with a Conn Smythe Trophy-winning performance as playoff MVP. The gritty Acciari has been involved in long post-season runs with the Boston Bruins, including two series that eliminated Toronto.

"I felt the move was important considering the market, going through all of our options, continuing to watch where our own team was at, and where we're headed," Dubas told reporters at a Saturday morning press conference in the bowels of Scotiabank Arena.

"Ryan O'Reilly's pedigree speaks for itself, but his defensive prowess, his playoff performance, what he brings to our centre position, and what he will bring to our team on and off the ice, we thought was vital.

"Especially with the level of competition that we're going to face."

The deal, however,