A Western Conference team pursuing Morgan Rielly is the escape route the Maple Leafs must take
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have a real chance to offload Morgan Rielly with one team out west having an eye on the defenseman showing there's still a chance he could be moved.
According to a report from David Pagnotta of 'The Fourth Period', Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has been looked at by one Western Conference team.
Pagnotta said that this one team, who was not named, was looking at a deal to acquire Rielly in the days leading up to the trade deadline. Rielly remained in Toronto.
Rielly, 32, has eight goals, 24 assists, and 32 points in 63 games this season for the Leafs, having led Toronto's power-play, something he's done over the last decade.
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With over a decade in Toronto since being drafted fifth overall by the Leafs in the 2012 draft, Rielly had spent a large portion of the NHL as Toronto's unambiguous leader on it's blueline as both their power play quarterback and top point producer.
While Rielly continues in both senses to produce points and be a power play contributor, Rielly's overall capabilities as a number one defenseman have decreased over a two year stretch, having gone down from 58 points in the 2023-24 season to 41 in 2024-25, and currently with 32.
Consistency has also come into question for Rielly, something that has led to uncertainty over the 32-year-old's future in Toronto, and what his $7.5M annual contract until 2030 means for his tradability.
Rielly has a no-move clause, which he'd have to waive for the Leafs to move him to any other team, which one team is reportedly pressing for the chance.
For another team in need for a veteran offensive defenseman who can lead a first power play unit, there is clear value that Rielly would still be able to provide.
Rielly's passive response to the Matthews hit officially made him tradeable
The Toronto Maple Leafs may be best off with a culture shift that revitalizes the entire roster, and it may start with the longest tenured Leaf in Rielly.
One sign that the culture may have to change in Toronto is the reaction from the Leafs bench to the hit Thursday on Captain Auston Matthews from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas.
The Leafs watched on without reaction as Matthews went down after a knee-on-knee with Gudas, an incident that caused Matthews to leave, and eventually ended his season.
Rielly admitted that he should have reacted, not realizing the severity of the injury to Matthews. It came a surprise that one of the Leafs leaders failed to process the seriousness of the situation at hand.
Moving Morgan Rielly is the mandatory first step for a new precedent
Morgan Rielly could be the beginning of restoring the Toronto Maple Leafs best performance, and bringing a new culture that may be a breath of fresh air.
Rielly has been there for the Leafs best, but at the Leafs worst he's struggling to do much in digging them out of it. Toronto's retooling may need to begin with moving Rielly out.
Rielly's hometown Vancouver Canucks have been one team linked to the defenseman, in a deal involving forward Elias Pettersson, and it'd be a forceful change to the team's identity.
Rielly, only getting older, would have to prove himself next season if he remains a Leaf to rebound, or his contract becomes even hard to move out, or potentially even impossible, which is why Toronto could act now.
Auston Matthews' injury only revealed further the culture problem in the Leafs locker room, and as the most senior player in the room, Morgan Rielly has to be an answer.
Morgan Rielly is the most important trade the Maple Leafs can make this season, not because it's the best deal out there, but because of what moving him means for everyone else in that locker room.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 15|870 ANSWERS A Western Conference team pursuing Morgan Rielly is the escape route the Maple Leafs must take Does Morgan Rielly need to go for the Leafs to improve? | ||
| Yes | 717 | 82.4 % |
| No | 153 | 17.6 % |
| List of polls | ||