David Carle to Toronto and Morgan Rielly to San Jose is the buzz heading into draft season

If Jonah Sigel is to be believed, the buzz around Toronto is that Morgan Rielly is headed out west and David Carle is coming in to save the franchise.

Toronto Star contributor Jonah Sigel feels confident that not only is Morgan Rielly being traded to San Jose but that David Carle is going to coach the Maple Leafs. While it may just be trying to create some buzz, if there's weight to those rumours then that completely changes the outlook of Toronto's season.

Rielly has been subject to rumours since the end of the 2024-25 season when the idea was planted about a future move. Well, he regressed even more and it's been reported that as soon as he's done with the Worlds - another discussion is going to happen.

Meanwhile Carle has been discussed as the top coach on the market but nearly unobtainable though it's not stopped Toronto from pursuing him intensely.

The Carle and Rielly claims come from Jonah Sigel - who covers the business of sports media, not the trade beat

It's creating a lot of buzz around the Toronto Maple Leafs and with the NHL Draft still needing to be figured out, John Chayka's to-do list is going to keep growing. But it may just be more than buzz according to Toronto Star contributor Jonah Sigel.

Sigel noted on X that sources to him have given him the confidence to say that Rielly not only will be traded, but it'll be to San Jose meanwhile Carle is essentially a shoo-in as head coach:

It's Sat night , I'm in a good mood. 3 things I believe or I've been told. These are NOT rumors:
1. Chris MacFarland will end up in Nashville - big promotion & bigger raise
2. Morgan Riley will agree to get dealt to San Jose
3. The Leafs will name David Carle head coach

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It's genuinely stunning to just come out of the woodwork and say that Rielly is going to be dealt (even if he misspelled his name) and Carle is coming in considering that this is the only real concrete and definitive statement regarding both situations.

Credible insiders had Carle as unlikely so either this jumps the gun - or Sigel knows more than he's leading on

Sigel is certainly linked to a lot of prominent names in the industry, but unlike an insider such as Chris Johnston or Elliotte Friedman, it's hard to take things at face value.

But there is some fire to these rumours, so Sigel isn't exactly blowing smoke. It was reported earlier this season that San Jose would look at a Rielly deal to help shore up their lack of defenders come next year, and Carle's status was that he was at least listening to the Maple Leafs.

Either he knows more than he's leading on and someone tipped him off ahead of time, or he's going against the trusted insider voice and debunking their reports. It's hard to actually know what's going on either.

We had the same situation when Steve Simmons reported John Chayka was going to be named GM. No one else on the planet had that information except Simmons and lo and behold it was true, so maybe Sigel is onto something.

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This genuine uncertainty is not going to please fans given that all they want is some straightforwardness and transparency from their club. However, it also creates a lot of buzz and hype around Toronto, and if there's a chance to get excited about the team again then why not let these rumours float around?

Any publicity is good publicity, and whether or not Sigel is right will only be known once these do or do not happen. But you have to admit, it's at least making this dull offseason a little more fun.

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