When the Tampa Bay Lightning were in talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about superstar defenceman Zach Werenski earlier this month, a former Edmonton Oilers prospect was involved.

That was Sam O’Reilly, whom the Oilers traded to the South Florida franchise last August in a one-for-one swap for Isaac Howard.

“I think it was O’Reilly and (J.J.) Moser in a package,” said The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta on an edition of The Leafs Nation’s Leafs Morning Take. “There’s more to it on both ends, but I think those were kind of names I had heard.”

O’Reilly, 20, returned to the Ontario Hockey League last season, starting the year as the captain of the London Knights. He put up 12 goals and 28 points in 29 games, and represented Canada at the World Juniors, scoring four goals and eight points in seven games. When he returned, however, he was dealt to the Kitchener Rangers alongside defenceman Jared Woolley for defenceman Jacob Xu, and 10 — yes, 10 — draft picks that included two picks in each of the second through six rounds, spread between 2026 and 2029.

The centre would see an uptick in his offensive production, scoring 17 goals and 43 points in 28 games, adding 17 goals and 28 points in 18 playoff games. The Rangers would win not only the OHL Championship, but the Memorial Cup, where he was named MVP for scoring three goals and eight points in four games.

Things would eventually cool between the Blue Jackets and Werenski, with both sides putting out a statement saying they remained committed to each other moving forward.

The Lightning don’t have much in the way of assets, so it wasn’t a surprise to hear O’Reilly names mentioned in these talks.

O’Reilly is slated to begin his pro career next season with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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