Morgan Rielly made himself a lot easier for Toronto to trade

Morgan Rielly's heart was always the Western Conference but with the Leafs needing him to expand his options, he's at least open to a lateral move in the East.

For months, the chatter has been surrounding whether or not Morgan Rielly is going to be a member of the Maple Leafs. His regression isn't a great sign, his contract is expensive and with the team trying to get more offence and consistency from their blueline - he makes for an obvious trade candidate.

But getting a deal done hasn't exactly been easy for John Chayka. He had a perfect chance with the San Jose Sharks but they decided to go with Darnell Nurse instead, and we heard reports that Rielly only wants to specific places in the Western Conference so it makes life even more difficult for Toronto.

Pagnotta reveals Rielly's trade preferences have opened up but only slightly

Though with expectations that he'll join the team this year still, there's some interest in the veteran defender from the Eastern Conference with the Penguins kicking tires and the Flyers reportedly keenly keeping an eye on things though with Rielly's preference out West, it seems moot.

However that doesn't seem to be the case now, and Rielly is at least open to expanding his horizons.

According to David Pagnotta, Rielly's preference still remains out West but for the sake of trying to find more deals, he is open to staying in the Eastern Conference:

Rielly's tenure in Toronto may be coming to an end. The Leafs have a general sense of which teams he would waive his NMC for, and while Rielly wouldn't mind going to the Western Conference, he is open to options in the East. He's got 4 years left on his contract.

Whether that be in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or elsewhere, at least the Maple Leafs are getting a bit of a respite when it comes to Rielly's demands and he's helping them out at least a little, though Pagnotta also names Los Angeles, Seattle, and Anaheim as potential destinations.

If Toronto can't find a trade, then Rielly best bring his 'A'-game this season

If worst comes to worst, then we're likely going to see Rielly playing a featured role in the lineup. He really shouldn't be a #1 option but is going to play heavy on the second unit. If Jake McCabe and Darren Raddysh hold the line on the first pair, then Rielly and Chris Tanev can play on the second pair.

Tanev, when healthy, is one of the best shutdown defenders in the league and would give Rielly some much needed defensive help. But here's where Rielly needs to step it up.

Where he had to deal with both offensive and defensive responsibilities, his pairing with Tanev would give him defensive opportunities but he actually has a guy who can protect his shortcomings.

Rielly then will likely be playing with the second and third lines which involve both some heavy defensive presences like Nick Paul and Colton Sissons and offensive stars like John Tavares and William Nylander. Rielly can be sprung on breaks and take advantage of the uber-defensive game of Paul and Sissons, or use his vision to find Nylander and Tavares up the ice.

Jim Hiller is running things behind the bench now, and when he was an assistant in Toronto, Rielly had some of his best numbers including a 20-goal season in 2018-19. If he can find a way to maximize his offensive potential and limiting the defensive mistakes - we could see the old Morgan.

But if he doesn't, then he really doesn't have many chances left...none actually. If last year was the tipping point for Rielly and he still makes no steps forward then there's not going to be a question of if Rielly is headed out, but just how fast it'll happen.

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