We all know Morgan Rielly's been here a long time and is out of chances, but giving him one more with more help and a new coach could be enough to get him going.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have no earthly idea what is going on with Morgan Rielly. First, they gave him a last ditch effort to do better but didn't. Then he was tossed around heavily in trade rumours yet nothing materialized and he was seen as part of the lineup.
Then word comes out that he is expanding his options and Toronto is still intent on trading Rielly before the season starts. It's a really bizarre will he, won't he situation for the Maple Leafs' longest tenured player, and there's only a limited amount of time to make a decision one way or another.
If they're trading him, then likely that is going to happen once they figure out where he wants to play and what kind of return they could get. Rielly isn't a bad player but is no longer able to be a #1 defender, and is much better suited for a second or even third pairing role.
Jim Hiller can fix Morgan Rielly but only if he puts him in the proper role
However, that isn't exactly the worst thing in the world when it comes to his place in the Maple Leafs lineup, and if he can accept the fact he's not longer going to be the top blueliner - the team may be in business.
Giving Rielly one more shot is a bad idea on paper but you have to understand the last two seasons. Stifled under a coach who at times felt like he hated scoring, Rielly was relied on being a top defending defender and no offence to him; he isn't.
What he is though is a very strong puck-mover who is able to help out by pinching (where he gets a lot of criticism) but it's because the team never really gave him a player who could help. Brandon Carlo was supposed to be the solution but...we know how that turned out.
However with the addition of Darren Raddysh, it allows Rielly to move down. How you ask? Well, simply put Jake McCabe up there instead.
You're breaking up the Tanev/McCabe pairing but if you're asking for defensive help for Rielly then who better than Tanev? He'd be able to cover for Rielly's shortcomings while Rielly gets a lot less pressure to be the driving force.
Jim Hiller has to understand what he has in Rielly. He's a veteran leader who can absolutely be an offensive weapon but only if he has help. Having him on the second unit with potentially Oliver Ekman-Larsson flanking him will help not only with the offensive responsibility but is a much more capable defender in case things get hairy.
A slow start however should no doubt push Rielly out of Toronto
But hey, we can't beat around the bush here. As long as Rielly is productive and gives Toronto what they need; he's safe. But if he has a slow start, or is a very streaky player where he starts the season on a tear then takes 20 games to pick it up again then it's all over.
Toronto has no more leash to give Rielly at this point. What are you going to do? Keep hoping that next year is better, while being handcuffed by a horrible deal? Right now, as odd as it sounds, the best time to strike is now for a deal.
If Rielly gets off to a bad start then Toronto needs to pull him aside and give him the facts. He's not going to be a part of things and there's time for him to raise his stock and also find more places he wants to play.
Even if he plays decent and has 30-35 points by the time the deadline hits, if those defensive numbers regress more and he's not keeping pace then it's goodbye. When we say Rielly needs to show up, we aren't kidding.
Toronto has had over a decade of Morgan Rielly and while he's an upstanding human being and a solid hockey player for sure, but he's no longer capable of doing his job here and a rough start will only accelerate his departure from the only team he's ever known in the NHL.
Do you think Morgan Rielly is going to be traded from the Maple Leafs?
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