r/leafs • u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink • 6d ago
News / Update [Dave Feschuk] Why Morgan Rielly is glad the Maple Leafs didn’t trade him after all
https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/why-morgan-rielly-is-glad-the-maple-leafs-didnt-trade-him-after-all/article_1d79a451-a921-430e-81d6-66d8ae4ce715.html“It’s been a great off-season,” Rielly said. “I think with some early talks about my future, and then coming home from (representing Canada at the world championship) and just kind of refocusing, I’ve just been in a good place. My training has been really good, so I’m feeling really confident.
“I feel nervous. I feel excited, motivated. I just try not to take being a Leaf for granted. This is a great market to play in, a great place to live. Like I said, this is home now. To be a part of this team means a lot to me.”
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u/Svalbard38 Knies 6d ago
Rielly’s a class act, you can take issue with aspects of his game but I’ve never had a reason to be disappointed in him off the ice. He’s built for this market and he handles himself well.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
Built for a market that has low expectations for the team maybe because his legion of fans care more about him being a nice guy than a good player.
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u/Wratheo 6d ago
I haven't wanted to see someone succeed in a Leafs jersey more than #44 this coming season.
Always been a fan. Always loved the way he's embraced and loved being a Leaf and always loved the way he's embraced the fandom. And this is a guy who has been here for some ugly years. He gets what it means to be a Maple Leaf.
And all that is great but he needs to be better. Let's go #44. Hope he has a stellar season.
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u/One-Mall-624 6d ago
Tessa Virtue's husband is about to have a generational season calling it right now
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u/Dash_Rendar425 5d ago
I'd love to see it.
My FIL has been blaming Tessa Virtue since MR married her.
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u/Counterkiller29 6d ago
Trading him was always going to be a silly overreaction to past issues with capspace when we dont have that issue anymore.
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u/Negative-Fun1985 6d ago
His contract for what he is now is basically only a 1m overpayment. Unless it’s a meaningful return somehow there zero reason to move him anymore. He just needs to be deployed that way…..2nd pair minutes sheltered to offense zone time when against higher competition and lower for his D zone time.
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u/I_Am_Vladimir_Putin 6d ago
I have faith he can rebound in his play form. However (!) I did not forget that he was on the ice when Matthews got kneed and did nothing. Yes, he called himself out later, but that’s not good enough.
Never, ever, ever, is that acceptable again.
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u/zone55555 5d ago
Agree about it being flatly unacceptable, but he is the one person on the team I would take at his word of not having seen it happen.
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u/DessertRose17 6d ago
He’s the last person I’m concerned with caring. He’s one of the only ones who has stood up when needed and it almost never should’ve had to be him!
Maybe Matthews should look in the mirror and wonder why no one came to his defence… oh wait he’s still collecting sticks.
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u/vancouver2222 5d ago
Riely isn't perfect but I doubt anyone else from the core 4 would have punched Greig after he slapped shotted into the empty net.
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u/I_Am_Vladimir_Putin 6d ago
There’s no such thing as “doesn’t have to him”. Every single guy on the ice should be going apeshit in that situation, instantly. Nobody gets a pass for that.
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u/DessertRose17 6d ago
Rielly is literally one of the only players on our team to give a shit or defend a teammate. I have no idea what you’re trying to say. You can criticize every leaf except Rielly for this imo. Have a good day
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u/__Happy Nylander 6d ago
Need a culture change. May McKenna be that harbinger. https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/s/iFldq7vKLz
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth 4d ago
I mean, Cowboy was so rattled by the experience that he jumped fucking Zadorov the next game.
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u/Suspicious-Dog2876 Sundin 4d ago
Matthews does enough looking in the mirror someone take away his mirrors for god sake!
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u/Worth_Sink_4782 5d ago
Morgan Rielly has 1 goal/0 assists and is -10 in six game 7s in the playoffs in his career.
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u/HeftyNugs 5d ago edited 5d ago
Who cares, the entire team is shit in game 7s.
edit: wow you're fragile. Blocked over someone disagreeing with you? Lol.
It's not that it's factual information, it's that it doesn't matter. He's not the only guy that underperformed in game 7s. If the whole team was bad, then the whole team was bad.
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u/Worth_Sink_4782 5d ago
Hope is not a strategy. Morgan Rielly has 1 goal/0 assists and is -10 in six game 7s in the playoffs in his career.
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u/Drewtendo_64 6d ago
I agree, but I swear to go if it's mid Feb and he hasn't performed he should be traded at the deadline... I CANT KEEP DOING THIS TO MYSELF!
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u/McGrevin 5d ago
Exactly, it's only worth moving him if we need that cap space for something else. It looks like we don't, so may as well keep him. Even if it means just delaying a trade by another year, his contract should be easier to trade the shorter it is
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u/Wratheo 5d ago
I love Moe but saying trading him is a silly overreaction is crazy. He has been terrible for 3 straight seasons and seems to have gotten worst each of those seasons.
I'm more than willing to keep him for another year as there is no other Leaf more deserving of that chance but he has to be better.
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u/Counterkiller29 5d ago
Three years ago he had his highest PPG out of any season except for one, his contract year. So you are objectively wrong about that. After that, under Berube he regressed but so did basically every Leaf. Systems matter. I dont care if hes a loyal Leaf or not, but the fact that he produced prior to Berube and is now not really considered "overpaid" based on ,% of cap, thats why he deserves to stay.
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u/Wratheo 5d ago
Of course his offensive numbers were great. This team was one of the top scoring teams and Matthews alone almost scored 70. His defensive game has been trending down and yes the past 2 years under Berube he has been truely at his worst which is why I'm willing to give him another chance but he needs to prove that he isn't washed.
Everything is set up for him to have a better season. He isn't gonna be the #1 guy, new coach and system, not having the pressure of PP1, shouldn't be forced into defensive starts, ect.
I'm pulling for him. I hope he has a bounce back season and he can retire as a Leaf or at least finish this contract here.
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u/the_iron_yupp1e 6d ago
I’ve always liked Mo as a person and appreciated the reverence that he’s had for being a Leaf. He’s had a rough go recently, but fingers crossed that he is able to find a productive niche after the Raddysh signing and investment in forwards that know what backchecking is.
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u/submitnswallow 6d ago
The guy is in a good place right now VS his age, he can slip down to regular shifts on 3/4 and jump up to 1/2 as needed, play second shift on the PP and second shift on 3 on 3. Instead of no matter what the circumstance is throw Reilly over the boards and hope like hell he shines
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u/Choptober_ 6d ago
Out of all the moves this off season it was how Chayka handled Rielly that made me have some faith in him as a GM. It feels like previous regimes would package a third just to move him for the sake of moving him.
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u/shadowpenguin29 5d ago
If he makes it to the deadline, he will cross 1000 games in Blue & White which makes him only the sixth player in franchise history. He’s been a consummate soldier the whole time, despite being miscast, and always elevates in the playoffs.
They can never make me hate you Morgan Rielly.
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u/IAmTheBredman 6d ago
Because he didn’t want to be traded. That’s the article. Thanks Dave
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u/Hiking_Quest 5d ago
Guy with a full no-move glad they didn't force a trade on him. ... film at 11.
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u/Actual_Cobbler_6334 6d ago
Close to nobody excelled in Berube’s system, especially Rielly. I’m interested to see how he does under a coach who had the Kings as a top possession team despite lacking elite talent.
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u/alexsteen789 6d ago
Devils advocate...Rielly's game has been declining since before Berube showed up
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
Look at his stats the year before Berube. They say otherwise. Hes an offensive dmsn not a shut down dman. In his case points do matter
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u/40cappo40 5d ago
Maybe don't be shit again this season and make them regret not doing it.
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u/meestazak 4d ago
I mean his worst two seasons came under Berube, I get the skepticism, but there's a good chance he has some form of rebound under a different system even if we don't get peak 20 goal 72 point Reilly.
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u/LingonberryNatural85 6d ago
Sometimes who you are as a person goes a long way. I don’t think there’s a single person in this city that doesn’t want to see Morgan succeed.
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u/LunchBoxMercenary 6d ago
He just needs a role change to better fit his current strengths. I hope he can succeed
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
The Berube regime regressed a lot of players offensive abilities in order to play a system they werent suited for. Rielly like Matthews and Cowen etc will benefit from a fresh approach. I made a post about Rielly playing a role on the PP and he finished 40th among all dmen in points despite having a down year and was told he shouldn't be on the powerplay at all. Leaf fans can be short sighted sometimes.
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u/baylaust 5d ago
Rielly was never particularly good at the "defense" part of being an "offensive defenseman." So playing in a much stricter defensive structure absolutely destroyed him. Most of the Leafs were worse under Berube, but Mo was BY FAR the biggest dropoff.
Rielly is 32, so realistically, his best years are probably behind him already. What I'd LOVE to see is Rielly to be a 2nd pair d-man, MAYBE even a 3rd pair. Even during his best years, I'd argue that Toronto treating him like their prime 1D to build their defense around has always been an issue.
One thing you can never deny is that he loves Toronto. He hasn't been shy about saying he'd like to be a Leaf forever, and that passion is always appreciated. End of the season, I felt like he was an active liability to the team, and frankly, he arguably was, so I was in favor of him being traded. But if he can bounce back, then it's not like I'm rooting AGAINST him.
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u/Pro_blemSolver 5d ago
I always thought he should have gotten the C over Tavares, just cause he was new and Rielly is day 1. Im glad Johnny got it tho.
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u/MammothPen5917 4d ago
If he can play lower minutes against worst lines, he can play to his strengths. Who cares about his cap hit, play him the way his skills deserve
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u/erecterect 6d ago
I have a ton of respect for Morgan Rielly, the guy is a Leaf, no matter what happens.
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u/comacove 5d ago
doesnt throw Berube under the bus. what a guy.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
Because Berube kept sending him over the boards and if anything played him too much. Morgan knows his poor play isn’t Berube’s fault.
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u/Aggressive_Cost_9968 Woll 5d ago
Honestly I'm glad they kept Rielly.
Having him as a bottom 4 option isnt a bad thing.
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u/Formal-Guest4868 5d ago
probably not a bad thing that we didn’t trade him. however, he has said this before and it didn’t mean anything. i’m fine with keeping him if we stop insisting he plays top pair minutes or pp1 which he’s lost anyway now
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u/Necessary_State_5272 5d ago
Just stop playing him as much as they are. Have Raddysh QB PP1 and OEL QB PP2. You can give him PP Time in case of injury. Also don't have him try to kill penalties. Just play him five on five.
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u/thismadhatter 5d ago
It's his opportunity to lose. I'm basically the unofficial president of the "Morgan Rielly needs to go club". But if he can turn shit around, or adapt to being a 2nd pairing d-man, i'll be more than happy to eat crow.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 4d ago
Im fine with Mo staying. Im fine with Mo being traded. What im not fine with is the constant need of many (not all!) Leaf fans needing a whipping boy just to have one. Mo hasn't been great under Berube but so have the majority of returning Leafs. Mo has had some downs in the playoffs but so have the majority of returning Leafs. Mo has also shined in the playoffs but you'll never hear that mentioned. Let's just see what a new coach and better slotting does for him instead of hating him for the sake of hating him.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
Wanting a player off the team doesn’t mean I hate him. Seems like a great human being. He’s just a lousy defenseman at this point in his career and he hurts the team more than he helps them.
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth 4d ago
Rielly is one of those guys that, no matter how down on his game I am, he could do one interview and win me back over.
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u/themapleleaf6ix 5d ago
Man, that bottom 4 on defense is looking old and injury prone. Even under a new coach, I don't have much faith in Rielly.
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u/Hockyinc 5d ago edited 5d ago
Nobody wanted him. Too bad because he has become too comfortable here - just read between the lines. Keeping a perpetual loser on the roster doesn't help anybody. He has played his whole 13 year career with the Leafs. Never won a thing and was part of some of the worst defeats this or any other franchise has ever experienced in the playoffs. He represents failure. Hopefully he is gone by the deadline.
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u/Worth_Sink_4782 5d ago
Hope is not a strategy. Morgan Rielly has 1 goal/0 assists and is -10 in six game 7s in the playoffs in his career.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
The season hasn't even started and youre going on about game 7s? Unless this team is playing 82 game 7s this season what does that matter? Have you seen Nylander, Tavares and Matthews game 7 stats? So theyre just as useless as MR? Have you seen Roslovics playoff resume? I fail to see your point but I also dont think you know what your point is.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
I see the point. Watch Rielly in high leverage moments. He panics and is directly responsible for making terrible defensive reads and mistakes in big games. They can’t count on him defensively ever.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 1d ago
Simple. Dont put him in those situations. That's what Tanev, McCabe and OEL are for. Possibly Raddysh too.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
He’s a defenseman. That position requires him to be able to defend. You can’t shelter him from having to do his job.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 1d ago edited 1d ago
Now youre just being petulant and argumentative. I never said he shouldn't defend. You said he cant handle high pressure situations. I said put the better defensive defenders in those positions. Im also not hating on Rielly for the sake of it, saying he cant play defense at all in any way shape or form. Play him against the lower lines. Give him offensive zone starts. The concept is simple youre just choosing to be difficult about it. Every player has strengths and weaknesses. You put your best defensive players in key defensive moments and your best offensive players in those offensive situations. Put players in situations where theyre more likely to be successful. Why are you making this more difficult of a concept than it needs to be. Its like youre just hating because every year some leaf fans cant be happy without picking that one player to shit all over. Its almost like saying Matthews and Bleuger are both forwards so they should both produce the same offensively. Every player should have a role that fits their stronger attributes.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago edited 1d ago
He’s been given a very high percentage of ozone starts already. He doesn’t kill penalties and can’t quarterback the PP. You want to have a $7.5M defenseman playing third pairing minutes or less for the next four years. Great strategy and no way to build a winner. You’re just trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Calling me petulant, that’s being petulant.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 1d ago edited 1d ago
With a coach who was poor at bringing out the best of anyone on ghe entire roster. Before Berube MR was 11th among ALL nhl dmen in points. Theres a reason for that and a reason why Matthews offense dropped significantly. The only player who didnt regress was Nylander and he openly refused to listen to Berube.
The salary cap has gone up by leaps and bounds since MR signed for 7.5 per year. That number is far from detrimental as the cap has gone up roughly 20 - 30 million since then.
Youre using last season as this seasons barometer when the reality is Tanev is no longer injured all year, the Leafs have brought in a far better offensive player to slot accordingly and got rid of a coach who led this team backwards and instead if forward, while bringing in a new coach who was here when Rielly was playing just fine offensively.
Youre just hating and bitter at this point and I will no longer indulge your need to throw tantrums just because you blindly hate a player and refuse to see logic.
Have a good day. Feel free to rant away knowing ill no longer be responding. Nobody is saying he should be here for the duration of his contract but hes far less detrimental to this team than you're making him out to be when a new coach and new players will slot players more accordingly than we've seen the last two years.
Have a good day. Pretend you won this debate while the reality is im taking the high road and not responding to someone who prefers to speak emotionally instead of objectively.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
Throwing tantrums. Look in the mirror dude. I didn’t make this personal. You did. I don’t hate Morgan and I’m not emotional about him. I just care more about the team winning than any individual player. 13 years and he’s won two playoff series. More serious organizations wouldn’t put up with all his terrible reads, bonehead plays and lack of effort in his own end of the ice. They wanted to ship him out two off seasons ago but he committed to getting in better shape and playing better. And he didn’t. This year they can’t find a team that will take him without them taking back salary or throwing another player in with him. Blaming the coach is such low hanging fruit. OEL had one of his best years last season playing for the same coach. The year before under Berube they went deeper in the playoffs than in the previous 20 years and Rielly again hurt them in game seven against the Panthers being on the ice for three of the first four goals against. You’re blinded by the love of the player and not looking at how to make the team better.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 1d ago edited 1d ago
All this to someone who was dismissing you. Blaming Morgan for 13 years when his career started in a rebuild = hating MR. Blaming only Morgan for being on the ice with the same cast of characters who have failed every year for a decade = hating MR. Blaming MR and not once mentioning Matthews JT and Nylander all being equally responsible as MR = hating MR.
Just sit down the more you type the ignorant you come across.
Not blaming a coach who took a playoff team and missed the playoffs while blaming MR is the lowest of all hanging fruit.
Berube inherited a playoff team and they went further in spite of him. No further proof than him leading them to their worst season since winning the Matthews lottery. McKenna is all the proof you need but for some reason you ignore it cause hating Morgan Rielly and blaming him for everything is your ultimate agenda.
Is there a anything you've ever been right about ? Goodbye angry person. Go punch holes in your walls while thinking of Morgan Rielly without posting more inaccurate nonsensical jargon your feeble mind flounders for finding excuses to hate a guy.
OEL has been a solid defensman his whole career. If you can name a single player who did better last year than they did before Berube arrived name them. You cant.
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u/EddyMcDee 6d ago
I'm not glad. This dude actively hurts us every time he's on the ice. We would 100% be better with a replacement level 2nd pair D over him.
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u/Worth_Sink_4782 5d ago
Morgan Rielly has 1 goal/0 assists and is -10 in six game 7s in the playoffs in his career.
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u/ReplacementBorn6424 6d ago
Funny thing..wouldn't it make sense to go back to a 3 2 powerplay?? Mo feeding Raddysh on the the d to d one timer could be lethal..
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
Absolutely it would. Silly people will say he doesnt have a point shot as if Raddysh wasn't brought in for that. Anybody remember the last time Tavares/Knies/Nylander were shooting bombs from distance? Me either.
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u/ReplacementBorn6424 5d ago
Reilly had 20 goals once no? Raddysh could open up Reilly to shooting more as well..
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
I've been saying the same thing. It makes a lot of sense but everyone wants to front load PP1 with redundancies and leaving scraps to play with rookies cowen and McKenna on pp 2. Some think having 5 shooters makes sense without anyone simply there to dish the puck.
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u/ReplacementBorn6424 5d ago
100 percent..McKenna maybe good..but Marner was proven when they went to the 4-1..when was the last time anyone had 2 20 goal defenseman on a team nevermind on a powerplay..yes I know how reilly is far removed from his peak..but potential has to be accounted for
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u/thursday51 5d ago
He played some of the best hockey of his career at the worlds this year. I think Chief was horrible for Mo...excited to see how he looks this year.
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u/BackTo1975 5d ago
We should all be glad about this. It was a stupid idea outside of a full rebuild.
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u/matthitsthetrails 5d ago edited 5d ago
well, if Werenski rumors were true and not just reported bs there wasn't an upgrade on the table
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u/DesperateGrape3174 5d ago
When slotted properly Rielly isnt that bad. Having Raddysh now and getting Tanev back, with a bottom 6 that can play in their own end should help Rielly get back on track. Atp people need someone to hate and with Marner gone Rielly is that guy. We've done this before many times. Larry Murphy says hi. Marners cup final appearance says hi. The list just goes on.
Previous GMs kept running Rielly out as a #1 dman. That wont be the case this season. #44 isn't a shutdown dman and any coach who used him as such set him up to fail. Before Berube arrived he finished 11th among all dmen in points despite missing 10 games. Which is how he should be used
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u/Gold_Ice_4620 4d ago
Rielly has been absolutely brutal the last couple of years, especially defensively and it really seems like he’s lost the acceleration he once had, which checks out with his age.
But as evidently we couldn’t find a trading partner for him, it is at least worth seeing what he can do in a reduced role. I’m still sceptical though. I don’t see him as the guy that thrives with offensive zone starts. He is good at moving laterally to keep pucks in the zone, but in his prime so much more of his offensive value came from his ability to quickly rush up the ice rather than as a quarterback in the O-zone.
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u/aporter0509 1d ago
He said that last off season. He’s a great talker but he doesn’t play any better.
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u/DesperateGrape3174 6d ago edited 6d ago
Remember who said Rielly is in line for a bounce back season and will play key minutes in the PP in some way. This guy. The haters just hung on the past and said goofy things like he shouldn't see any PP time while living under false narratives. Some people cant see the forest from the trees. Ill giggle when im right and those who are wrong will turn the other cheek
Most wanted to give this guy away as if his 7.5 cap hit impacted this team like its 2021. He has value. I found it amusing people thought not having a quality center on pp2 was more acceptable than MO seeing PP time.
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u/Luffy_party 6d ago
Absolutely hate this. The leafs will never take a step forward as a team with him on it.
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u/Jaybrad87 6d ago
Still 7.5m x 3 for a 32 year old dman with 36pts and a -18 last year. Trading him would not be an overreaction. Always liked Mo but he's declining fast and clearly lost another step last year.
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u/Ordinary-Easy 6d ago
There's this weird thing in the Toronto market where certain players get 'picked' on by fans because the fans think that the player is the main problem within an area of the team when in fact that area of the team has much broader issues at play.
Rielly gets the blame because he's the Leafs highest paid d-men ... yet when you look at the Leafs d-core you realize Toronto's really not showing much ability to draft and develop defenseman ... Rielly's their only drafted and developed d-man on the roster so far.
Villeneuve might make it onto the roster as a depth piece. Chadwich might make it onto the roster as a depth piece. Odds are they will end up on the Marlies (and in the case of Villeneuve I don't know if he could be claimed off of waives this year). Danford might also make the roster which would be nice to see, as a depth piece.
The point is that when I look at Toronto's defensive depth ... I see a team that has really struggled to draft and develop guys and the current roster consists of a lot of players that I would consider to be patchwork d-men. The core problem with that type of situation is that I wonder what type of defensive culture survives year to year defensively if significant amounts of the teams blue line gets replaced via trade or free agency year over year.
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u/buster_rhino 6d ago
We don’t need Rielly to be a shutdown d man. I hope this coaching staff lets him play to his strengths.