There is nothing to report on any new negotiations between Ryan O'Reilly and the Colorado Avalanche. It is looking more and more that the restricted free agent will be dealt and there were plenty of Eastern Conference scouts on hand Sunday when the Avs played Anaheim, which looks like where he will go, especially since the two conferences do not play each other this regular season. Stay tuned.

Ryan O'Reilly said he was unaware of his father's email to the Denver Post in which Brian O'Reilly said he believes the Avs don't value his son's character. Ryan O'Reilly took to Twitter on Thursday night to apologize for the letter, writing, "I had no idea of my dads letter to the Denver post. It's tough situation I apologize to anyone bothered by this. Hopefully its over soon." O'Reilly's contract dispute with the Avs has officially passed bitter and is now entering the "When will this end?" phase.

In an email to the Denver Post, Ryan O'Reilly's father says his son's contract situation is not about the money and "never has been." Brian O'Reilly also said he thinks the Avs don't value the character of his son. The elder O'Reilly even uses hypothetical math grades to back up his son's contract demands. "If my son was getting 95 in math we wouldn't ask him to get 65 so the rest of the students in the classroom could feel better about themselves," Brian O'Reilly writes in a very long note that is just the latest sign that this saga is unlikely to end with Ryan O'Reilly still in an Avalanche uniform.

The Lightning have interest in the Avalanche's Ryan O'Reilly but are unlikely to be a fit because they don't have the players to use in a trade for him. The Avs are receiving a lot of interest from the Eastern Conference teams, which makes sense because the team would prefer to move him out of conference, if a trade is what it ultimately ends up doing. The Tampa Bay Times' Damiam Cristodero says it's not the money -- which could be $5 million per year -- that would prevent a deal, but the cost in players the Bolts just don't have.

Matt Duchene said he wouldn't have done things the same way as restricted free agent Ryan O'Reilly. That's not hard to believe, considering Duchene inked the same two-year/$7 million deal that O'Reilly has reportedly refused. Duchene said that he would love a long-term contract, but he has to earn it and he recognizes that his struggles last season opened the door to some questions he has to answer in 2013. At the same time, Duchene isn't hostile towards O'Reilly's decision. "With him, I don't know what the conversations are between him and the team, and I don't know what they are between him and his agent," Duchene said. "But at the end of the day, he's a pro, he's a guy who's looking for something. You have to respect that. It's a business."

According to the the New York Post's Larry Brooks, the Rangers "have checked in on" Ryan O'Reilly, "but are very unlikely" to try to work out a deal with the Avalanche. Brooks said it's unclear what the Rangers would have to part with, but it's the salary demands that are most discouraging. O'Reilly, who recorded 55 points a year ago, has rejected Colorado's two-year, $3.5 million offer and five-year one with less annual average salary.

Ryan O'Reilly's relationship with the Colorado Avalanche might have deteriorated when he wasn't named the captain. O'Reilly is a restricted free agent who is, at this point, far more likely to be traded than to ever play for the Avalanche again. O'Reilly was reportedly hurt when the Avalanche went with Gabriel Landeskog over him. The Denver Post's Adrian Dater stated, "No way do I think O'Reilly's camp would have played such hardball if he'd been named captain." Of course, there were more reasons than the captaincy that led to this current situation. The biggest is likely money. O'Reilly wanted compensation that he felt was fair given his breakout season, while Colorado didn't want to accept that level of financial risk given O'Reilly's far less impressive showings in his previous two campaigns.

Restricted free agent Ryan O'Reilly will probably be traded by the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche had no desire to trade O'Reilly originally, but we're almost a month into the season and the negotiations appear to be dead. O'Reilly is believed to be seeking a contract in the ballpark of $5 million per season after the two-way center recorded 55 points last season. However, Colorado has refused to make that kind of commitment to O'Reilly given the fact that he had just 52 points in his previous two campaigns. The Avalanche are asking for a top prospect and a roster player for O'Reilly. He's a guy a lot of teams would love to have and at the age of 22 he could be a major part of a franchise for the next decade or so, but given his contract demands, any team that meets Colorado's price will be taking on a massive risk.

The Colorado Avalanche are missing their top line from last season due to injury and restricted free agency. While losing Gabriel Landeskog (concussion) and Steve Downie (knee) to injury, the lack of Ryan O'Reilly in the lineup because both sides have not reached an agreement really hurts. The trio was put together when Downie came over from Tampa Bay on Feb. 21, 2012 and they just clicked and were the Avs top line. It appears that O'Reilly is still not close to a deal but things could change quickly if both sides are looking to compromise. Stay tuned.

One of the reasons the Avalanche and Ryan O'Reilly have been unable to reach an agreement could be the fact the team is hoping to avoid allowing the center to reach salary arbitration this summer. This isn't to say the Avs are acting in poor faith with the young player, but the team is certainly aware that O'Reilly would be eligible for arbitration this summer if he were to sign a one-year pact and suit up for a minimum of six games this season, thereby lessening the possibility of a short-term fix to the situation.