The Toronto Maple Leafs will be a team to watch in the offseason as they have several key free agents, but one analyst thinks they should look to make a trade.
NHL analyst Stephen Nixon of EditorinLeaf believes the Maple Leafs should move on from Morgan Rielly. The star defenseman has been a key member of Toronto’s roster for years. But, he has struggled this year, so Nixon thinks it would be wise for the Maple Leafs to move on from him.
“Despite having three years left on his deal, I think there’s a world where Morgan Rielly is no longer a member of the Leafs next year, and here’s why,” Nixon wrote. “The Leafs defense is set up nicely and Rielly’s $7.5M contract could be utilized a lot better.
“There will be multiple teams lining up for Rielly’s services. By trading him, it would free up a ton of cash to find a real top-pairing defenseman, legitimizing the team’s core,” Nixon added. “Brandon Carlo, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe make up a nice top-four. But, the Leafs could use a younger and more higher-end player at the top of their blue line.”
Rielly is in the third year of his eight-year $60 million deal with the Maple Leafs. Although he has a no-trade clause, Nixon does think Rielly would waive it for a fresh start.
“Rielly has a no-movement clause, but if the Leafs lose early in the playoffs he may also want a fresh start,” Nixon added. “I know that the Rielly trade seems far-fetched but if the Leafs fail to advance in the playoffs, big changes are going to happen.”
Rielly has recorded 7 goals and 27 assists for 34 points this season in 70 games.
Analyst Believes Rielly’s Play is a Concern for Maple Leafs
Rielly has been a key member of the Maple Leafs since he was selected fifth overall in the 2012 NHL draft.
However, Rielly’s play has taken a step back this season. NHL analyst, JD Bunkis, believes it is a big issue for Toronto going forward. Especially with his contract.
“If you factor what age he’s going to be next season, he’s going to be 31 years old. And, it seems though he’s lost a bit of a step,” Bunkis said on the JD Bukins Podcast on March 24. “I think there’s a strong case to be made that going into next year, he might be like $3 million-per-year overpaid.”
Rielly is a one-time All-Star.
Maple Leafs Coach Defends Rielly
Rielly’s play has taken a step back this season, but his coach, Craig Berube, has defended him.
As Rielly was getting criticized by fans in January, Berube defended his star defenseman.
“Can Morgan play better? Yes, he can. We all know that. He knows that, and he’s trying to work through it right now,” Berube said. “It’s a team game, it’s not all on Morgan. Yes, he’s a guy that we need offense from, from the back end. He’s just got to stick with it, and we’ll keep working at it. We’ll try to help him as much as we can.”
Rielly is currently playing on the Maple Leafs’ top pairing with Carlo.
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