The Toronto Maple Leafs revealed their official defensive groups ahead of opening night, with Morgan Rielly earning a shot alongside newcomer Darren Raddysh.
As we inch closer towards the NHL season kicking off, the Toronto Maple Leafs are already making their decision on how the team will line up this year. Jim Hiller has his work cut out for him, especially when it comes to the defensive side.
There are a lot of questions about where Morgan Rielly will end up, and how Darren Raddysh will respond after his 70-point season, not to mention the health of Chris Tanev. Hiller has a lot to worry about but it seems he's got his groupings.
Maple Leafs defensive pairings for 2026-27 revealed
At Maple Leafs practice on Monday, Rielly was seen skating alongside Raddysh on the top pair, which is a very good indication of what we are going to see as we head into the 2026-27 season:
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The rest of the defensive pairings are pretty par for the course, as you have Jake McCabe and Tanev lining up together on the second pair, meanwhile Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stetcher take over the third pair.
Newcomers Emil Andrae and PTO signing Nick Blankenburg were the fourth group on defense, and depending on how the Maple Leafs want to approach things this season, both men could end up making the team if Toronto wants to run eight blue liners.
Rielly getting back into the first pair is a little surprising given that he didn't suit up for either preseason game against Montreal and is still dealing with a viral infection. Clearly though, it didn't stop him from participating on Monday and being the first line of defense for the Maple Leafs.
Can a Rielly and Raddysh partnership thrive?
A Rielly and Raddysh pairing isn't the worst thing in the world, and it does offer the Maple Leafs a dual threat offensively, especially if you have Rielly feeding passes to Raddysh for blasts from the point.
However their partnership can only thrive if Raddysh is able to help cover for some of Rielly's defensive mishaps. The one issue with Rielly has always been needing help to cover for any mistakes, and while Raddysh is a solid defender in his own right, he's not a true shutdown guy.
It's going to be up to Rielly to learn how to minimize his mistakes and maximize his opportunities. He doesn't need to run the offensive side himself anymore, and deferring to Raddysh at times will give him a chance to not only reset, but also perhaps pinch in as almost a fourth forward on the wing.
The goal here isn't to suddenly have Rielly explode into the player we expected him to be, nor is it to have Raddysh shoulder the entire load after one breakout season. The team has to use their strengths and find a way to create chances without sacrificing defence.
It's not impossible, but we should probably wait and see how things turn out on the ice before we make any judgements on either side of the coin.
Do you think Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh would be a good defensive pair?
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