"Rielly's entire career in Toronto has been interesting. As a young defenseman, his skating was elite which gave us plenty of optimism that he would be Toronto's version of Kris Letang. Although Letang won mutliple Stanley Cup's as Pittsburgh's top defenseman, he was never one of the top 10 best defenseman in the NHL or anything. Instead, he was just a good player on a good team who could provide some solid offense from the blue-line and that's kind of what we all wanted Rielly to be."
"Unfortunately Rielly never quite reached Letang's peak, as he's only scored double-digit goals twice in 13 years, which isn't good enough to be paid $7.5M AAV until 2030. He's shown glimmers, highlighted by his 68 point 2021-22 season and 2024-25 playoffs, but overall, Rielly has been a liability on defense and someone who people think is a lot better than he actually is. Speaking of being a liability on defense, he made a terrible play on the Matthew Schaefer game-winning goal on Saturday night that solidifed why he needs to leave Toronto, as the Leafs "best defenseman" cannot be making that type of play to lose the game."
Morgan Rielly, a 31-year-old defenseman drafted fifth overall in 2012, could be moved from the Toronto Maple Leafs after this season despite holding a no-movement clause. Teams occasionally ask players with no-movement clauses to name preferred destinations, and Rielly may face a similar offseason unless he improves. Rielly showed elite skating early and peaked offensively with a 68-point 2021-22 season and contributions in the 2024-25 playoffs, but has only two double-digit goal seasons in 13 years. Defensive lapses and a $7.5 million average annual value through 2030 raise doubts about his long-term fit in Toronto.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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