Maple Leafs Demote Veteran Morgan Rielly as Calls Grow for an Urgent Trade
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a big change on the man advantage, moving Morgan Rielly off the top unit as the calls for a puck-moving defenseman grow louder.
With the Maple Leafs' power play needing a jolt, Craig Berube decided that he wanted to shake things up and brought in Oliver Ekman-Larsson to quarterback the first unit, and demoted Morgan Rielly to the second.
At first glance it seems like a puzzling move considering that Rielly has nine points this season and actually showing more oomph offensively however, he has yet to get a point on the power play and for a QB1 that's inexcusable for Craig Berube.
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It's why he brought in Ekman-Larsson, who at least has two assists on the man advantage and is right behind Rielly with eight points (1 goal, 7 assists), plus he's adding better defense and a much grittier edge to the back end.
But it wasn't just Berube who thought it was a good idea, as the fan reaction to the move was very positive, knowing that OEL can bring the offense when the team desperately needs it:
For his career, Ekman-Larsson has 192 career points on the power play, and at one time was considered one of the best, if not the best PP QB in the league.
Those days are past, but he's turned back the clock the last two seasons and shown that while there were some grumblings about his signing at first, he's truly a key asset to the team.
Rielly had a lot of help last season thanks to Mitch Marner and his 13 PP assists show that without that extra facilitator, points are going to be a lot harder to come by.
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It's not like the team has decided Rielly is benched and sitting, but giving him less pressure to run the offense; something he's struggled with in the past might actually be the key to getting him on track.
In the meantime, it might mean the team is looking to make a potential trade, and with the likes of Erik Karlsson, Dougie Hamilton and Brandt Clarke all at varying levels of cost and availability; a deal may be on the horizon.
While Craig Berube tinkers with his lineup until he gets something he likes, the hope is that his latest move is going to be one that not only sticks, but gives the team a boost where it absolutely needs it.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 4 | 1274 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Demote Veteran Morgan Rielly as Calls Grow for an Urgent Trade Should the Maple Leafs keep Morgan Rielly on the PP 1 or have OEL instead? | ||
| Rielly! | 482 | 37.8 % |
| OEL! | 792 | 62.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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