Tough blow to Morgan Rielly in Toronto

A few days ago, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube called out defenseman Morgan Rielly, asking the veteran blue liner to move pucks and being more aggressive on the offensive side of things. But Rielly keeps struggling and finally, trade chatter has caught up to him with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox exposing more issues with the defenseman in Toronto in his latest mailbag.

One fan stated that it “feels inevitable they’ll move on from Morgan Rielly” and Fox’s answer will not provide the blue liner the confidence he needs to get out of his slump:

“As for Rielly, there is no denying the struggling fit between the player and the system. Losing power-play time didn’t help either. He has a full no-move until the final two seasons of his deal; he submits a 10-team no-trade list in 2028-29 and 2029-30.”

After seven straight seasons of producing at least 0.57 points per game, Rielly keeps struggling this season, having collected just five goals and 25 points in 54 games — the worst 82-game-pace since he was 22 years old. In last night’s 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, a game played after Fox wrote his column, Rielly collected just one assist, which I doubt is enough for coach Berube.

Rielly’s fit within the system has been questioned, and sure, he has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate, but the Maple Leafs’ current focus remains on on improving his performance rather than seeking external replacements.

With the March 7 deadline a month away, Toronto is expected to add depth without making a monster trade, looking to strengthen the current lineup and hoping that Rielly will rebound. Perhaps after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Fox does have some hope:

“The team’s path right now is to work with the alternate captain on getting his game back. Rielly has looked better and more active during this road trip. Cross your fingers: His season could be turning around.

“If he’s a problem, the preferred solution is to solve things internally. Despite the warts, who would you prefer logging Rielly’s 22 minutes? And what would be the cost to get that guy?”