Morgan Rielly left Saturday's game and did not return, and the Maple Leafs' subsequent roster move to replace him is not good news going forward.
The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't just lose the game last night to the Montreal Canadiens, but they in fact lost their top offensive defenseman and a locker room leader in Morgan Rielly. Leaving after only 5:45 of total ice time, it's another key blue line injury that's led to others needing to pick up the slack.
It's much like the Chris Tanev situation, where the team saw heavy increases in usage for players like Troy Stecher, and Darren Raddysh's near 30 minutes of ice time Saturday is a testament to how much Rielly is going to be missed.
Toronto calls up McWard as Rielly's injury status remains unknown
And the fact that they added some reinforcements for Sunday and the week ahead is a bad sign going forward.
The Maple Leafs have reportedly called up defenseman Cole McWard from the Toronto Marlies as they look to add some more defensive depth behind them after being ravaged with injuries:
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McWard has not yet made his Maple Leafs debut, but does have nine career NHL games played with the Canucks and Islanders - scoring a goal.
While it would be great to see McWard step in and get his first game as a Leaf, it certainly doesn't replace Rielly's offensive dominance and the fact that he's turned things around after a horrid 2025-26 campaign.
Rielly has 12 points in 18 games along with 23 blocks, and eight hits but is averaging the least amount of time on the ice since his rookie year, at only 18:46 per night.
Toronto's injury woes continue wreaking havoc on the lineup
Now that Rielly is down and with no real clue as to how long he'll be out for, it's starting to get concerning as to how many Maple Leafs defenders are out right now at both the NHL and AHL level:
- Morgan Rielly
- Marshall Rifai
- Nick Blankenburg
- William Villeneuve
- Cade Webbber
- Ben Danford
They also just got Chris Tanev back from injury, and already had Oliver Ekman-Larsson leave two separate games with injury concerns. They're already running thin and Rielly's injury worsens things considerably.
If things continue down this path, the team is going to need to find some type of help via the waiver wire or a trade, but their limited tagging allotment and restrictions prevent them from making any substantial moves.
For everyone's sake, let's just hope that Rielly's injury is nothing more than a scare, instead of a scary situation.
Do you think Morgan Rielly's injury is going to be a serious issue for the Maple Leafs?
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