MTL refuses that trade for Ouellet. We could go to jail for accepting anything in return for him... we'll put him on waivers for you to claim...

As you want lol, I kind of really liked him the few games that I saw but if you want to let him go for free, I'll keep the pick

Obviously it's sarcasm... but there's a reason he was in the AHL all season. With Romanov joining the team next year, and Juulsen/Fleury pushing behing him, there's just no room for him on the roster. Why a team would give up an asset for a guy like this just doesn't make sense. Surely there's a similar d-man available via UFA that can be had without giving up the asset.

Well Marc Bergevin is good at getting assets for players we don’t think would bring anything back. (ie. Nicolas Deslauriers)

Ie. Marco Scandella flip

UGH! Please do not remind me.
Before the trade was made, I posted many times Scandella for a 2nd.
Now I watch him making great plays for the Blues.
Two of Botterill's worse trades Scandella for a fourth and that fourth for Frolik.
BTW if O'Reilly played for the Sabres the way he has played in these two games against Vancouver, the Sabres would have been in the playoff his last year, not in the running for Dahlin.

VAN decline.

Pinning the problem on Oreilly isn’t fair IMO. It starts with BUF management and the players not inspired by the organisation's culture. Oreilly is still the same dude, just in a better team. Sorry.

Did you ever listen to the entire interview?
https://thehockeywriters.com/sabres-oreilly-deserves-respect-not-accusations/
listen at 1:54, 3:00, 4:58 and 5:08 lost his love of the game. We were lucky to get a bucket of pucks after this interview.
Did you remember that STL was in last place until Binnington joined the Blues?
Did you ever read an analysis of the trade directly after the trade: https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/07/01/trade-blues-spend-big-to-get-ryan-oreilly-from-sabres/
Only after the trade he had a "spark" https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ryan-oreilly-trade-blues-spark-now/
I watched the Blues play yesterday, if O'Reilly played with that high of intensity the Sabres would never have traded him and the team would have made the play offs at least one of the years he was here.
He should have brought the intensity to the team, it is not the other way around.
You have Tavares, did he ever take a YEAR off then the Islanders were a non factor?
No he always played hard and never said "I lost my love of the game".