The St. Louis Blues are gauging trade interest in captain Ryan O’Reilly ahead of the trade deadline, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in Tuesday’s edition of “Insider Trading.”

Being able to acquire the Blues captain, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, would cost teams a package of prospects and picks, Dreger adds.

O’Reilly has been sidelined since Jan. 2 with a broken foot but is expected to return to action before the March 3 trade deadline. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has severely underperformed this season, registering a mere 16 points in 37 games while averaging 18:26 of ice time per contest. During St. Louis’ massive early-season slump in November, O’Reilly called his play “absolutely horrible” and “pathetic.”

Despite his down year, O’Reilly’s pedigree should attract attention from plenty of Cup contenders. The veteran two-way pivot recorded 266 points in 324 games since joining the Blues in 2018-19 and has a Conn Smythe, Selke Trophy, and Stanley Cup on his resume.

O’Reilly also carries a $7.5-million cap hit before hitting the open market this summer.

The Blues entered Tuesday five points back of third place in the Central Division and six behind the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. It’s been a disappointing season to say the least, and the lack of production from the veteran players have been the target of much criticism.

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