John Chayka comes clean about Morgan Rielly trade talks

Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka finally admitted that Morgan Rielly's trade speculation was overblown and they never had a real deal on the table.

For the majority of the summer it was a 'will he or won't he' situation when it comes to Morgan Rielly and being traded from the Maple Leafs. At first it seemed very likely after last year's struggles, and Rielly even gave them a list of destinations he would prefer to head to if a trade were to be made.

Though here we are in mid-September and Rielly is still a key part of the lineup, and with a bit of creativity mixed with the arrival of Darren Raddysh, things are looking up for not only Toronto but their longest-tenured player.

Morgan Rielly was never going to be traded with a lack of serious offers

However, analysts, fans, and everyone involved in Leafs Nation was wondering what prospective deals may have been on the table. Was there a deal hidden in the midst that got overlooked? Was Rielly's desire to win in Toronto going to play a factor? Can a deal even be made in the first place?

As it turns out, by John Chayka's own admission, there simply was never anything really close to a desirable Morgan Rielly trade, and boldly told The Athletic in an exclusive interview that no one seemed to be serious at all:

At no point did we ever have what I would characterize as a serious trade opportunity with Morgan Rielly.

Now you can take what Chayka said with a grain of salt but it's hard to understand why he wouldn't at least explore those deals. Clearly he did, but the return package wasn't up to snuff. Part of that can be blamed on Rielly's steep decline over the past two seasons, and his offensive numbers haven't made up for his defensive miscues.

But now with a renewed focus and a lot more help at the back, Rielly is set to at least have a much better chance to bounce back as opposed to be stuck in another free-fall.

The best-case scenario for Morgan Rielly

First and foremost, he needs to shake everything the last two years have brought off, come into camp as hungry as a rookie - and play like it. Rielly's best case of proving his doubters wrong is to show that he not only has that offensive touch he's capable of, but has also managed to work on his defensive game.

At the end of the day, Rielly's job is to stop opponents from scoring and getting high-danger chances and though he hasn't been physical lately, over his first 11 seasons he's averaged almost 70 hits and 97 blocks so there's clearly a defensive skillset hidden away.

He doesn't need to score 80 points nor does he need to prove to anyone that he's a superstar or #1. Accepting a smaller role and thriving against weaker matchups will boost his confidence and therefore hopefully make him a bit more dangerous.

After being forced to be the sole provider of the Maple Leafs offence on the back end, it's only now that John Chayka and Toronto gave him the help he needs.

Maybe that's why there were never any serious offers because Chayka knew what he had if Rielly got support and it wasn't worth trading away.

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