Darren Dreger's adamancy that Morgan Rielly would be traded never paid off, as the TSN analyst admitted that he was wrong about his prediction.
For the majority of the Maple Leafs' offseason, there were rampant rumours flying everywhere regarding Morgan Rielly's future. There was a feeling he would be traded amidst a massive lineup overhaul, and with the addition of Darren Raddysh, it seemed like an inevitability.
However he's still with the team despite all the speculation, and with the proper coaching and usage he could thrive again, and Raddysh coming in is only going to help take heavy minutes off Rielly and let him work better matchups.
Darren Dreger admits his Morgan Rielly prediction was wrong
But everyone really thought that Rielly was headed out, none more confident seemingly than TSN's Darren Dreger.
Dreger spoke on TSN's First Up show on Monday, and admitted he was wrong in his assumption that Rielly would be dealt and while he did acquiesce that the veteran is a good defender - he thought his shelf life had expired:
One of the things that I thought was a guarantee was that Morgan Rielly was going to be in a different uniform when I came back in the fall. So, I'm surprised that they weren't able to find the right fit.
I'm in the camp that still thinks that Morgan Rielly is a decent defenseman. But in saying that, players have shelf lives, coaches and managers have shelf lives, and it felt like Morgan had reached his expiration date with the Maple Leafs. Maybe he's recharged.
Maybe he'll find the perfect fit... There's an assumption that he'll line up with Darren Raddysh. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.
You can't necessarily fault Dreger considering the numerous reports we heard about not only Toronto talking to Rielly about a deal, but that they also received a four-team trade list which showed that a deal was at least progressing in some aspect.
Morgan Rielly can still be an effective piece despite his consistent regression
Sure, it would be a little bit premature to say that Raddysh coming in immediately solves every issue Toronto has on the blueline, but it does offer Rielly a chance to reset. While we can point to Rielly's steep decline over the past few years - how much of that was over-dependance?
Toronto really only looked to Rielly to be their offensive driver on the backend, never really taking the time to add another complementary piece. Sure, they added Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson recently; while also adding TJ Brodie and John Klingberg at points.
Well, the first two are shutdown defenders who aren't offensive-first players, and Ekman-Larsson is solid but not that true #1 quarterback. Brodie was decent but also more of a two-way force, and Klingberg only lasted 14 games.
His regression is a genuine concern, but with Raddysh able to take on a bigger role, it would allow Rielly to thrive against weaker matchups, and provide that secondary help - even if Dreger believes they will play together.
But as we've seen, Dreger's predictions don't necessarily come to fruition, but as of now all we know is that Morgan Rielly is going to be part of the Maple Leafs in 2026-27.
Do you think that Morgan Rielly will still be traded from the Maple Leafs this season?
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