Subscribe
Follow Us
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ disappointing run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued, as they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semis. It was especially frustrating loss given their early 2-0 series lead after their first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators.
There could potentially be major changes in store for the franchise given the free-agency status of cornerstone players Mitch Marner and John Tavares, both of whom could continue their NHL careers outside of Toronto. Speaking of major changes, the Maple Leafs have already undergone one at the top with the announcement that president Brendan Shanahan's contract would not be renewed after 11 seasons.
Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has already put Maple Leafs fans on notice to brace for philosophical changes within the organization after their latest postseason failure, via NHL.com
“There's some DNA that has to change in our team,” Treliving said. “If you keep getting to the same result, there's some DNA that needs to change. That's on me going forward. We've now started the planning, and it's early, for putting a team together for 2025-26.”
And while much of the attention is going to be on both Marner and Tavares, another potential casualty of Toronto's new turn in direction could be longtime veteran defenseman Morgan Rielly.
Rielly has been floated as a potential trade candidate due to Toronto's inability to go on lengthy playoff runs and his alleged dip in play in pressure-packed postseason situations, via Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff.
“He’s lost a step but could still help a weaker team’s power play or middle pair if he played reduced minutes,” he wrote. “Though Rielly has always insisted he likes competing in a pressure-packed market, his recent play suggests otherwise, and maybe he’d benefit from playing somewhere offering more anonymity.”
Reilly himself made it no secret that he doesn't want to play for another team and wants to continue his career with the Maple Leafs, but also knows that change is a possibility, via Evan Doerfler of The Hockey News.
“There's always change. Every summer, every offseason is different,” said Rielly. “As a player, I think sometimes it's best not to speculate on what may or may not happen. So, for us, I mean for me individually, you want to focus on what you can do to come back a better version of yourself at the next training camp.”
But what are the chances that Rielly becomes part of the aforementioned DNA change in Toronto?
Maple Leafs must keep Morgan Rielly around
Article Continues Below
While there may even be some fans of the Maple Leafs who wouldn't mind seeing them move on from Rielly, especially after the latest collapse by Toronto in the postseason, they'd be better off keeping him around.
In the first place, his contract runs through 2030 and carries a $7.5 million cap hit, so it would be a challenge for Treliving to move, even with slight salary retention. Not only that, but Rielly has a full no-trade clause as part of his contract and would be able to shut down any attempt on Toronto's part to move him.
Rielly appeared in all 82 games for the Leafs during the 2024-25 campaign and followed that up with an impressive offensive showing in the postseason with four goals in 13 games, a pace that would have seen him easily surpass his goal total of seven during the regular season.
Additionally, Rielly has proven himself to be not only a capable defender but also is one of the positive influences in the dressing room. Teammates like Auston Matthews and William Nylander have been outspoken in their support of Rielly, and moving him out of town could potentially alienate them.
NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun also shut down any notion of Rielly being included in an offseason trade during a recent live segment on TSN.
“Another core player is Morgan Rielly, the veteran defenceman on the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he said. “People have wondered, could the Leafs go to him and ask him to waive his no-move to try to bring more DNA change? The answer is ‘no chance,’ from what we understand.”
The Maple Leafs made a major commitment to Morgan Rielly when they signed him to his current contract, and they can't simply move on from him now. While it's true they have several defensemen signed for the foreseeable future—including Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Philippe Myers, Simon Benoit, and Brandon Carlo—Rielly remains the leader of Toronto’s blue line and has earned the right to see the process through.
