Morgan Rielly was viewed as untouchable, until this week

The longest tenured player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly has seen the ups and downs throughout his 12-year career with the team, and has had his fair share of fan appreciation and criticism even if he is consistently regarded as a strong teammate.

He's signed long-term and expected to be a part of Toronto's plans going forward even as he gets older, and while there are some concerns about his defensive game -- he can still provide an offensive spark and is one of the team's locker room leaders.

But with the team struggling, speculation has begun about possible changes and a new report from The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta shows that Rielly may be a part of that roster restructuring.

Speaking on the Nov. 25 edition of the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast, Pagnotta explained that although Rielly has a no-movement clause in his contract, he's still heard the Maple Leafs blueliner's name floating around in trade speculation:

While there is no confirmation that Rielly is going to be dealt and Pagnotta noted he was passing along what he has heard, without suggesting a move is imminent -- it does bring up an interesting way for Toronto to make a big change.

Rielly, 31, has been with the team since the start of the 2013 season and while he's had some inconsistent production over the years, has still managed to be one of the most productive defensemen in Maple Leafs history.

He ranks second all-time on the franchise leaderboard in points for defensemen (530), 14th all-time overall in points, third all-time in games played as a defenseman (894) and 8th all-time.

But Toronto has to make a real change and add not only someone who can consistently drive the offense on the backend, but also make themselves a bit younger and faster -- the team has had issues with pace of play and some have pointed to Rielly as part of that issue.

The one caveat is that even if you get Rielly to waive his no-movement clause, he still commands $7.5-million over the next four seasons, plus paying for his services this year as well.

That may make things harder in terms of finding a respectable deal, although with reports earlier this offseason regarding a discussion between Rielly and the Leafs about his future -- a deal cannot be ruled out based on that discussion.

Plus, moving a long-serving player who has endured the highs and lows of Toronto, and one who has never caused any on-ice or off-ice issues while also endearing himself to fans for his durability and leadership.

So while it's not impossible for Morgan Rielly to be traded, it might cause some issues if he is given his legacy with the team. But those can be forgiven if he's dealt for someone who can heavily reshape the Maple Leafs.