There is a new general manager in town for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it’s former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka, who earned no shortage of controversy from his days with that organization.
While he said he’s learned from those mistakes, there are still a number of skeptical Leafs fans who wonder if he’s really the right man for the job. Meanwhile, former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin is back with the organization in a leadership role.
Additionally, there has been rampant speculation regarding the futures of longtime Leafs players Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly with the franchise, the only one that they’ve ever played for in their respective NHL careers.
What Could Morgan Rielly Fetch The Toronto Maple Leafs In A Potential Trade?
During a recent airing of “First Up” on TSN, Insiders Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo debated the value of what Rielly could fetch in return, and it was Korolnek who suggested that the Leafs could send him to the Oilers in return for Darnell Nurse.
“I think you get another undesirable contract back,” Korolnek said. “Someone who is struggling in their own right, someone who makes a decent chunk of change like Morgan Rielly is in Toronto, but it’s somebody who’s gonna play for you. It’s kind of uncertain contract/player for another one. I don’t know who that is at the moment, but I don’t think you trade Morgan Rielly and get a first round pick and a player back, clearly, considering the financial commitment for the next four years.”
“But I think you’re trading Morgan Rielly and you’re getting somebody who is gonna play for you. It might be a forward, someone on the back end, I don’t know. It’s a difficult deal to make. I keep going back to Darnell Nurse in Edmonton as a potential swap. I think it makes sense for both teams.”
However, Colaiacovo, a former Leafs defenseman from his own playing days, saw it differently.
“I don’t know how much sense that makes for the Leafs, you’re getting a guy in Darnell Nurse who makes more money than Morgan Rielly, who is more of a defensive guy than an offensive guy, I don’t know what that does for the Leafs,” Colaiacovo said in response. “You want a change? Okay, maybe. I don’t necessarily buy into this whole theory that Morgan Rielly has no market out there.”
Could Morgan Rielly Land With The Sharks?
According to Colaiacovo, a young team on the rise who could greatly benefit from the presence of a veteran blue liner on their roster would be the San Jose Sharks.
“Because, I look at a team like San Jose,” he said. “I’m not saying that he’s gonna go to San Jose, but San Jose has no veteran defensemen…..San Jose could be a place like, ‘We need a guy like Morgan Rielly. We think him in our environment and around our players, less pressure to play, could thrive.’”
The Sharks, led by former first overall pick Macklin Celebrini (who finished third overall in the NHL in total scoring), came within an earshot of making the playoffs, and armed with another high draft pick this summer, appear poised to break out as one of the League’s more dangerous clubs in the near future.
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