Despite multiple changes to the front office, coaching staff, and roster of the Toronto Maple Leafs under the guidance of new general manager John Chayka, there remains one unresolved issue with the new season rapidly approaching.
The Maple Leafs still have yet to decide what longtime defenseman Morgan Rielly’s long-term future with the club will be. He’s been heavily involved in trade rumors over the last several months, though he remains with the club for now.
Former Maple Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, who is currently a Toronto Insider, recently stated his belief that criticism of Rielly stems largely from the Leafs asking him to fill a role that doesn’t suit his game, rather than him not being an adequate NHL blue liner.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo Defends Morgan Rielly
Not only did Colaiacovo defend Rielly, but also called out the Maple Leafs for seemingly putting too high expectations upon his shoulders.
“I’ve defended Morgan Rielly to some of the people in the public where, you know, they’re adamant that they have to get rid of him,” Colaiacovo said recently on First Up. “You don’t just get rid of a good hockey player for the sake of getting rid of him. The reason why people feel the way they do about Morgan Rielly is because this organization has expected him to be a number one defenseman for the last two or three seasons, and he’s just – he’s not fit to be that guy. Morgan Rielly as your three, four, five, six defenseman? That’s a really good defenseman! You can’t expect him to be your number one guy.”
Rielly, whom the Maple Leafs selected in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, is the longest-tenured member of the roster. He also still has several seasons with a salary cap hit of $7.5 million remaining on his contract.
Morgan Rielly Would Like To Remain With The Maple Leafs
Rielly is well aware that he’s been heavily involved in trade rumors and also understands that it’s the nature of the business.
That being said, his preference is to stay with the only NHL club that he’s played for.
“My desire to stay in Toronto is always going to be there,” Rielly said in April. “There’s a number of (reasons), but a big one is loyalty. Loyalty to the team that drafted you, I think that’s a powerful thing.”
Rielly also emphasized the importance of teammates sticking by one another in the face of difficult circumstances, which the Leafs faced last season and ultimately missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“You want to be able to stick together,” Rielly said. “There’s times where there are uncomfortable conversations or hard conversations in here, but I think that they get handled well by both the people hearing it and the people delivering the message as well. I think there’s just an element of respect.”
“Once doubt starts to creep in, it can be challenging to deal with,” Rielly continued. “But you have to do everything you can to keep the outlook that you believe in yourself, and you’re going to do the work necessary to continue to perform.”
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