The Morgan Rielly Problem: Why It’s Time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Move On

When Morgan Rielly was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 5th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, I had high hopes for the defender. Despite coming off a significant knee injury that caused him to miss nearly the entire season during his draft year, Rielly remained in the top 10 of most draft rankings. At the time, Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke even went as far as saying that Rielly had always been number one on the Leafs’ internal rankings.

Fast forward to today, and Rielly has played 913 games with the franchise, currently ranking 2nd in franchise history for points by a defender. So, by all accounts, many fans ask: why do you dislike Morgan Rielly?

For me, the turning point was the 2019/20 season. November 20th, 2019, to be exact.

A Questionable Act of Leadership

After the Toronto Maple Leafs quit on Head Coach Mike Babcock, the team made the decision following a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to relieve Babcock of his duties and replace him with Sheldon Keefe. Upon Keefe’s arrival in Toronto, Rielly approached the coaching staff and volunteered to be removed from the team’s top powerplay unit in favor of Tyson Barrie. At the time, Barrie was struggling to transition into the Leafs’ offense after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Nazem Kadri trade.

While many viewed this move as ‘selfless’ and an example of exemplary ‘leadership’, for me, it was a sign of weakness. It was a moment where Rielly decided to take the puck off his own stick and put it on someone else’s. Rielly was coming off a 20-goal, 72-point season where he’d established himself as one of the top offensive defensemen in the game. Rather than build upon that success, he instead decided to pass the baton, and he has never found that level to his game since.

Broken Promises and Defensive Liabilities

After last season’s exit from the playoffs, I advocated that the time had come for the Leafs to move on from Rielly. He is the longest-serving member of the team, has seen more failures than any other player, and has been considered part of the leadership group longer than anyone.

At the beginning of this season, General Manager Brad Treliving revealed details of a conversation he’d had with Rielly after the team’s second-round exit. Treliving shared that Rielly reportedly ‘took the conversation to heart’ and was ready to do everything necessary to reach his full potential. Unfortunately for Toronto, despite a hot start to the season, Rielly has fallen back into old habits and is struggling now more than ever.

Statistically, Rielly is the worst defender on the Leafs’ blueline this season. Regardless of his partner, he ends up on the highlight reel for all the wrong reasons every single night.

Head Coach Craig Berube has done everything in his power to help shelter Rielly where possible, but not even that has helped. Consider the underlying numbers:

• Offensive Zone Starts: Rielly is currently starting 63.6% of his shifts in the offensive zone, a career-high.

• Goals Against: Despite favorable matchups, Rielly has been on the ice for 54 goals against at even strength, while only being on the ice for 40 goals for.

Last night alone, Rielly was on the ice for 4 goals against and no goals for, committing two major mistakes which ultimately led to both the game-tying and game-winning goals against.

The Contract Complication

With the Toronto market beginning to turn on the defender, it’s time for the organization to look at the path forward. However, complicating the matter is Rielly’s full No-Movement Clause (NMC), allowing him to dictate how the process will play out. That NMC does not transition to a modified no-trade clause until the summer of 2028, making a trade significantly more difficult.

To make matters worse, after last night’s game, Rielly met with the media and gave one of the worst interviews of his career in my opinion. After one of the worst games of his career, all Rielly could talk about was the ‘we’ of the team, without acknowledging his poor performance. This was a time Rielly should have taken a page out of Mitch Marner’s book and borrowed the forward’s favorite phrase, “I need to be better.”

4 Options for the Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs now face four choices to address the situation on the blue line:

The Healthy Scratch

Sit Rielly in the press box, making him a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. Preferably, this should happen this Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team, to send a clear message.

The Diplomatic Approach

Approach the defender and ask him if he’d be willing to accept a trade, and if so, to where. This process likely leaves the team with only two or three options to work out a deal, and it may end with the Leafs being forced to absorb salary for the next four years.

Shopping the Market

Begin shopping the defender across the league to every single team, searching out the best offer. This is a deal that likely results in a bad contract returning to Toronto as compensation, simply moving the problem from one part of the game to another.

However, this strategy sends a message to the defender: “The choice isn’t entirely yours. We no longer view you as a productive member of this organization.” A move like this may open the defender's mind and create a situation where an acquiring team could speak to him and possibly convince him to waive his clause.

The Nuclear Option: The Buyout

This proves to members of the organization that no one is safe. Inform Rielly that the team plans on exercising their rights to buy out the defender this summer. This presents a chance for Rielly to potentially open up his mind to try and avoid the stigma that goes along with bought-out players. Alternatively, it leaves the team in a position of power, knowing they have additional salary cap space to operate this summer and completely change the culture of the defense.

The Verdict

With Rielly continuing to be the worst player on the team’s back end almost nightly, it’s time that tough talks transition into definitive action. It’s time that fans stop holding ‘Playoff Mo’ on a pedestal or overvaluing his cross-check to Ridly Greig. Instead, it’s time to make Rielly an example that no one is safe and finally rid the organization of the stink that surrounds him.