"The Maple Leafs are struggling and firing assistant coach Marc Savard is a somewhat random place to start, but this team surely isn't finished adjusting on the fly. This is a hockey team in desperate need of significant change, and it starts by approaching veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly about the next chapter of his career. Rielly, 31, is the longest-tenured Maple Leaf and he's under contract through the 2029-30 season at $7.5 million AAV."
"Rielly owns a full no-movement clause, and from all accounts during his exit interview after last season, told Treliving he'd like to remain with the team. Treliving reportedly made his messaging very clear to Rielly that he needed to be better, and while there's been some flashes of brilliance this season, for the most part, Rielly's been extremely inconsistent with his production, and it's time to move on."
"So far this season, Rielly's posted 24 points in 34 games, so this isn't a case of a team trying to move someone who has absolutely no trade value. There's several teams who could use what Rielly offers in his tool box, it's just come to a point in Toronto that its run stale. There's good, sure, but there's also bad, and very ugly this year, and on a nightly basis Rielly's doing things on the ice that leave you scratching your head."
The Maple Leafs are underperforming and require significant roster change centered on veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly. Rielly is 31, the longest-tenured Leaf, signed through 2029-30 at $7.5 million with a full no-movement clause. He expressed a desire to stay, but management told him he needed to improve. Rielly has shown occasional brilliance but has been largely inconsistent this season. Core forwards Matthew Knies, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares are untouchable, leaving Rielly as the primary negotiable core piece. He has trade value with 24 points in 34 games, but persuading him to waive his clause could be difficult.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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