The ongoing circus of Toronto Maple Leafs rumors has taken another swing at a veteran defenseman.
In a March 3 column, the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta speculated about the possibility of the Leafs moving Morgan Rielly to the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks have just about every defenseman set to hit free agency this summer. As such, they’ll need to restock their blue line, especially if the five or so impending UFAs do not return next season. The Sharks will be looking to deal them at the NHL trade deadline, necessitating more bodies to fill out the roster.
That’s where Maple Leafs rumors could veer to the Sharks and Rielly. The 32-year-old has seemingly been in trade chatter forever. His underwhelming performance as the team’s number-one defenseman has landed the former first-round pick of the 2012 NHL Draft plenty of flak.
Pagnotta admitted that this discussion would be more of an offseason type of thing. It makes sense as Rielly has a full no-trade clause. But one has to wonder if there hasn’t been some sort of discussion already.
Prevailing Maple Leafs rumors suggest that the club has not approached Rielly about a trade. If anything, the Leafs haven’t even considered moving their longest-tenured player.
But it’s also worth noting that just about every notable insider has mused about the Maple Leafs moving Rielly. The rationale is clear. Beyond the underwhelming numbers, Rielly’s cap hit could be getting in the way. Plus, this disappointing season has also led to calls for the club to retool or head into a rebuild. In that situation, Rielly just doesn’t fit into the picture.
Maple Leafs Rumors Surrounding Rielly to Pick Up in Offseason
It’s highly unlikely that Toronto will move Rielly at this year’s trade deadline. There’s not enough runway to get a deal off the ground. Unless some team comes with a mind-shocking offer out of the blue, and Rielly is eager to leave, trade talk should head into the offseason.
That’s why Maple Leafs rumors surrounding Morgan Rielly should pick up in the offseason. The Leafs will need to carefully assess offers, while also giving Rielly’s camp enough time to assess offers. Of course, that depends if the Leafs fell strongly enough about a deal to ask Rielly to waive his no-trade clause.
At this point there’s a fat chance that will be happening. There’s no telling what the Maple Leafs could want for Rielly. There’s also no clarity on what another team could be willing to pay. As such, Maple Leafs rumors involving Rielly could be unfounded, at best, at this point.
Again, there’s always a chance that a desperate team decides to pull the trigger. That’s why the Sharks, while not necessarily desperate, could sense an opportunity with Rielly.
Why Leafs Shouldn’t Trade Rielly
The idea of trading Morgan Rielly doesn’t really make sense. At this point, Rielly is still a serviceable top-four blueliner. He’s not the high-end offensive machine fans would like. But that’s partly due to Craig Berube’s system and partly due to his lack of a reliable defense partner. Fans got to see what Rielly could do with a solid partner like Ron Hainsey, Luke Schenn, or even Ilya Lybushkin.
That’s why fans shouldn’t pay too much credence to Maple Leafs rumors at this point. Rielly remains the best defenseman on the team, even with Oliver Ekman-Larsson supplying the bulk of the blueline offense.
Unless the Leafs have another deal in place for a suitable replacement, the best course of action at this point might be just to keep Rielly and focus on finding him the right defensive partner.
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