The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t seen the best of Morgan Rielly and everyone knows it. Something has to change for the team to get Rielly back to playing the way he’s known for. This season, he hasn’t been himself on both sides of the puck. In terms of offensive production, the 30-year-old is having an underwhelming campaign. In 51 games this season, Rielly has five goals and 22 points. He’s on pace to end the year with 35 points, which is significantly lower than last year’s totals.
In the 2023-24 campaign, the Leafs defenceman had just seven goals but recorded 51 assists for 58 points in 72 games. That’s 23 more points than what he is on pace for to finish this season. Toronto’s blueline as a whole hasn’t been impressive in terms of producing offensively by any means. Furthermore, they are the worst team in the league when it comes to goals from the back end. Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski has more goals than the entire Maple Leafs D-corps. Werenski has 16 goals in 50 games this season. Meanwhile, in a total of 305 games between eight defencemen to feature for Toronto this year, they’ve only combined for 11 goals.
As the Leafs struggle to find offence from the blueline, everyone looks to Rielly for answers. The Vancouver native has proven that he can lead the way offensively from the back end. In the 2018-19 season, Rielly scored 20 goals and 72 points for a career-high. However, that feels like centuries ago for Leafs fans as he hasn’t come close to that number in the last three years, especially in the goals department.
The Maple Leafs need their veteran D-man to step up, and management needs to find a way to ignite his spark.
What Should Leafs Management Do With Rielly?
It’s no secret that Rielly hasn’t been playing to the best of his abilities with Toronto this season. That’s been highlighted by every Leafs media publication, and recently head coach Craig Berube touched on the matter. “Can Morgan play better? Yes, he can. We all know that. He knows that & he’s trying to work through it right now,” Berube said after Toronto’s 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. “It’s a team game. It’s not all on Morgan. He is a guy who we need offence from on the back end. He’s just gotta stick with it.”The Leafs bench boss added that the coaching staff are doing their best to help him get out of this slump, “as coaches, that’s our job.”
Rielly was asked about his slump after the game too. “I feel good despite numbers & whatnot. It’s a battle right now. Just trying to compete & play the best I can,” he said.
There isn’t much else the Maple Leafs can do with their top D-man. He hasn’t found a consistent fit with a partner, despite the coach trying out many different pairings. Management even decided to remove him from the top power-play unit and use a five-forward system instead with right winger Mitch Marner as the quarterback.
It’s been a grind for Rielly this year and the solution to get him out of this bad run could be a reset. The blueliner has played almost every regular season game throughout his 11-year career. Sometimes, players can benefit from a rest and sit back and watch the team play. Watching provides a different perspective on the team and the game, which could help Rielly. While it would be a tough look for the player and team to make him a healthy scratch, it’s something worth considering.
Is a Trade the Most Appropriate Response?
Trading Rielly has been a method that some fans believe could be helpful for the team. However, despite what the numbers say, Rielly is a valued member of the team and has been for a long time. He is the longest-tenured player on the team and knows what it takes to be a Maple Leaf. He’s an effective leader in the locker room and on the ice. Also, it would be difficult to replace a player like him who can easily log 23-24 minutes per game. There’s a low chance that the Maple Leafs will improve after a trade that sends Rielly away.
With that said, there wouldn’t be much of a market for Rielly because of his contract. He signed an eight-year contract with the Maple Leafs in 2022, earning $7.5M per season. That means after this campaign, he will still have five seasons remaining on his contract. His deal ends in 2030 and he’ll be 36 years old by then.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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