Morgan Rielly's Future in Question as Leafs Reportedly Chasing 3 Big-Name Free Agents

As time ticks down towards free agency on July 1, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a lot to think about prior to making any rash decisions. Do they make a splash this summer, or hold off until next year's crop of incredible free agents?

Fans might not want to be too patient given how much failure there has been recently, and if Toronto wanted to make as a strong a push as ever, they need to be proactive and aggressive this summer.

But NHL Insider and Maple Leafs analyst Nick Kypreos believes the team is going to pus hard to make offers to all three men in the hopes of being able to land at least one of them, and potentially multiple:

It seems that every report seems to add a new layer to the situation, and with Toronto wanting to literally emulate Florida by taking some of their key contributors, it all depends on if their longest-tenured player wants to leave.

There's something to be said for Rielly, who has endured 12 years with the Maple Leafs and has seen some of their highest and definitely their lowest points. The ultimate Toronto-first mentality and never seeming discouraged endeared him to Leafs fans.

But he hasn't been the level of player that they need him to be, and with him being on the wrong side of 30, with a huge contract; there's a serious chance for regression.

We already saw glimpses of that, and he's unfit to run the power play at this point in his career. If he keeps getting worse, that contract is going to eat up more and more potential salary, and with a worsening player that's a deadly combo.

It seems disrespectful to get rid of Rielly, but with a DNA change looking to be made, you have to at least entertain the possibility of getting rid of him.

Where however is another question. There are few teams who could take on the remaining $30-million he's owed, and Toronto has to also make sure they get a reasonable return as well.

Being from Vancouver, it might be easier for Toronto to target teams like Calgary, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver itself or even Los Angeles.

Giving him a chance out West might be a great starting point, and in the case of Calgary and Los Angeles; a chance to still be competitive.

LA needs a replacement for Drew Doughty and to help mentor their younger defenders, while Calgary could give him Rasmus Andersson and create an insane offensive/defensive combo.

Rielly, 31, put up 41 points in 82 games this past season (7G, 34A) but his defensive numbers slipped, he ended up being way less physical, and looked a few steps behind in terms of speed.

For his career, Rielly has 513 points in 873 games (87G, 426A) while keeping a minus-23 rating in 22:08 TOI.

He would clearly need to agree to move, however he's been here long enough and this is a business. They can thank Rielly for his service, ensure he gets to finish his career in a more relaxed atmosphere and potentially give him a chance to win before he retires.

It won't be the easiest task to get done, but unlike some Morgan Rielly is all for helping the team; even if it means he can't be a part of them anymore.