Morgan Rielly could force Oliver Ekman-Larsson out of the Maple Leafs' lineup

The Toronto Maple Leafs have addressed the defenseman position in numerous ways during this offseason, and they might not be done just yet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have numerous options on the roster for depth roles, and with recent additions, might make a defenseman or two expendable.

Rielly's future remains unresolved after he submitted four Western Conference teams he would consider as trade destinations. Toronto has not completed a deal, but management continues to search for a fit rather than clearly committing to moving another defenseman instead.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, or OEL, could be someone who is pushed into a reduced role, where management can get more value by having him off the roster.

The big move this offseason for the Maple Leafs was acquiring right-shot defenseman Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Raddysh's arrival could push Ekman-Larsson into a third-pair role

Rielly and Ekman-Larsson are both left-shot defensemen who can move the puck, but their roles are not identical. Raddysh's arrival is most likely to reduce their power-play opportunities, particularly after his 70-point season and 10 power-play goals made him Toronto's expected first-unit quarterback.

Raddysh gives the Maple Leafs a weapon on the blue line; his shot and puck-moving abilities are legit weapons for the team to utilize.

Raddysh is projected to play with Jake McCabe, while Rielly remains beside Chris Tanev and Ekman-Larsson moves to the third pairing with Emil Andrae. Those combinations are not confirmed, but they demonstrate that keeping Rielly does not automatically remove OEL from the lineup.

While both players are solid, keeping both players could mean one of them is left in a reduced role that does not match their salary.

Trading either player would create cap space and clarify the depth chart, but the return would depend on the contract being moved. OEL's lower cap hit and shorter term could attract more buyers, while Rielly's $7.5-million commitment and no-movement protection make his market more restrictive.

That said, the Leafs do not have an internal option to replace the level of talent either of these two players has, meaning replicating their production will have to come in the aggregate.

The Maple Leafs have alot of players with the same play style now; a lot of them are solid puck movers, older, and moving on from what of them would give clearer division with roles like shutdown/puck-moving and special-teams responsibilities.

Ekman-Larsson is easier to move, but trading him could weaken Toronto's depth

Rielly remains established in the core and has been with Toronto his entire career, and moving on from a long-time locker-room staple like that might not go well when veteran leadership could be needed for a team with so many moving parts.

OEL will be here for his third season, and while he has been easily one of the best players on the roster, he is at the end of his career, and it may be more beneficial for his career to find a home with more playing time.

OEL is the more movable contract on paper because he carries a $3.5-million cap hit through 2027-28 and submits a 16-team no-trade list. Rielly carries a $7.5-million cap hit through 2029-30 and still controls any move through his no-movement protection, although he has voluntarily provided Toronto with four approved destinations.

In terms of price for production and flexibility, OEL is a far more attractive option because his AAV is significantly lower than Rielly's and has less term.

Moving OEL would clear less cap space than trading Rielly, but his contract would likely be easier to market. It would also open a regular position for Andrae, Ben Danford, or another younger defenseman.

The trade-off is that Toronto would be moving a veteran who produced 39 points at a manageable $3.5-million cap hit simply because the larger Rielly contract proves more difficult to move. That is the decision Chayka must avoid making solely for convenience.

As things sit, both OEL and Rielly look to be Maple Leafs heading into next season, though if management changes their mind, moving on from one of these players would create flexibility to make moves at the deadline and going forward.

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