‘Botterill, armed with the leverage that comes in dealing any high-caliber player with term, remained steadfast on that ask through Sunday. O’Reilly was due a $7.5 million signing bonus before midnight July 1, per his contract (which runs until 2022-23), and the GM warned his counterparts the price would only increase if the Sabres were forced to foot the bill, perhaps in an attempt to rejuvenate trade talks. It paid off.’