Cal O'Reilly has certainly made the most of his opportunity this season with the Nashville Predators.
Going into this season, the Preds were a team that had traded away its captain and first-line center in Jason Arnott and acquired another center, free agent Matthew Lombardi.
The idea was that O'Reilly would challenge for a top three center position with the Preds, after Lombardi and David Legwand.
The 23 year old from Seaforth, Ontario would quickly get a chance to play on a line with veteran Steve Sullivan on right wing and last season's breakout player Patrick Hornqvist on the left side. Coach Trotz seemed to have no problem placing Sullivan on a line with a pair of 23 year olds, with the 36-year-old Sullivan adding his influence to the line.
As the season started for the Predators, so did their injuries.
Lombardi suffered a concussion early in the season during the second game of the season vs. Chicago, where he tumbled into the boards.
Coach Trotz needed to find someone to play those minutes at center.
Marcel Goc had his chance, playing with veteran right winger and last season's team ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mike MacDonald
Nashville Predators Center Cal O’Reilly Making Most of His Opportunity
November 20th, 2010 by Mike MacDonald Leave a reply »
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