Depends on the situation of those 29 other teams. How many teams had the need and the cap space to sign O'Reilly? How many teams were waiting (perhaps foolishly) until the Sabres paid O'Reilly's bonus? Did the Sabres shoot themselves in the foot by trying to make the trade before the bonus was due?
In the end, it still falls on Botterill. He was the one who decided that O'Reilly couldn't make the Sabres a winner. That he wasn't worth the cap space.
The Blues had different opinion, and now they have a Selke finalist, a Conn Smythe winner, and a Stanley Cup. Meanwhile the Sabres are still trying to figure out who their 2nd line center will be this season.
Anyway, the most insulting thing coming out of this is Armstrong claiming that Tage Thompson is a good player.