"This entire season has been a disaster for Morgan Rielly; he is often looked upon as a defensive liability, which was on full display Saturday night versus the New York Islanders. In a 4-3 overtime loss, Rielly was a minus-4. While not every goal was a direct translation of Rielly being on the ice, both goals from former 1st overall pick Matthew Schaefer, Rielly could have avoided."
"During the final stages of the third period, Schaefer carried the puck into the Maple Leafs' zone and darted to the net. Rielly's positioning was terrible, which led to Schaefer beating him to the net. If Rielly had played strong defence and pushed Schaefer to the outside, the Maple Leafs may have won that game in regulation, as the rest of the blueline looked to have been playing strongly."
"Matt Barzal carried it into the Maple Leafs zone and attracted both Rielly and Matthew Knies. Knies was the original player who was on Barzal. Rielly then followed Barzal to the outside, which left Schaefer wide open in the slot. For a skilled player, that is the dream. Schaefer then won the game for the Islanders, leaving the Maple Leafs disappointed on a historic night."
Morgan Rielly entered the season at age 30 with expectations of a bounce-back year. His struggles worsened through the season and he is no longer capable of being a top-line defenceman. He is often viewed as a defensive liability, exemplified by a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders in which he finished minus-4. Specific positioning errors allowed former first overall pick Matthew Schaefer to score twice, including a third-period rush and an overtime slot opportunity after Rielly followed a play to the outside. Fans and management have increased criticism due to repeated defensive lapses.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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