There have been multiple offseason changes for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have made significant shifts in both leadership behind the bench and the front office along with multiple changes to player personnel.
However, one of the most talked about players involved in trade rumors on the current Leafs roster is longtime defenseman Morgan Rielly, who is the longest-tenured member of the club.
Rielly has been linked to multiple other clubs, but for now, remains with the Maple Leafs and has yet to be moved by new general manager John Chayka. Whether or not Rielly begins the upcoming season, which isn’t far off, with Toronto remains to be seen.
In the meantime, former Maple Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo is offering his take on the situation.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo Weighs In On Morgan Rielly’s Future In Toronto
During a recent episode of TSN’s First Up, former Maple Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo expressed his belief that Rielly could very well begin the upcoming season in Toronto and that if he was going to be traded by Chayka, a deal would have already materialized by this point in the offseason.
“Morgan Rielly, listen, I don’t know what to believe on that front,” Colaiacovo said. “There are so many different stories of what’s going on behind the scenes. But I’d have to imagine that if Morgan Rielly was going to be moved, he’d have been moved by now.
Co-host Aaron Korolnek chimed in by saying that clubs Rielly has been linked to can no longer fit him under the restrains of their current salary cap situation.
“Especially to the teams we’d suggested that he would go to,” he said. “Those spots have been taken. Anaheim’s got no cap space anymore, because they messed up the Leo Carlsson conversation.”
Morgan Rielly? We just talked about it – I don’t think there’s…first of all, the Leafs aren’t just going to give him away, they want something in return,” Korolnek continued. “I think if they slot Rielly into the second or third pair, you’re going to get better use out of a guy like Morgan Rielly than just getting rid of him for nothing.
Colaiacovo concluded:
“You kind of need him at this point,” he said. “It’s not like there’s a litany of quality defenseman on the free agent market that you can just slot in and play.”
Will The Maple Leafs Trade Morgan Rielly?
Rielly has been with the Leafs since they selected him fifth overall in the 2012 NHL Draft; he would eventually make his debut for the club in the 2013-14 season, and has been a fixture on their blue line ever since.
One of the main hangups on a potential trade of Rielly is his current contract situation, as he’s inked through the end of the 2029-30 NHL season with a salary cap hit of $7.5 million.
He’s appeared in 951 career NHL games, and has tallied 98 goals with 451 assists for 549 points along with 279 penalty minutes. He’s also contributed 15 goals and 32 assists in 72 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
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