As home fans celebrated the Toronto Blue Jays advancing in the playoffs, they also witnessed the Maple Leafs get their first win of the year. A major part of that win was the performance of Morgan Rielly, who earned praise from head coach Craig Berube.
“I thought he had a really good game. He skated well, moved the puck well, made good reads. He defended well [too]. He was really solid tonight, “remarked Berube after Rielly's performance in the win.
After a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, Rielly was floated as a possible trade candidate. In the offseason, he met with Berube and general manager Brad Treliving to discuss his game. The response was to get his former style of play. It seems the blueliner got the message. He assisted on the game-tying goal to Calle Jarnkrok in the second period. He then scored what proved to be the game-winner in the third. Rielly got back to his free-flowing play with the help of his defensive partner, Brandon Carlo.
“That was one of the reasons we put Brandon Carlo with him. He’s a stay-at-home D-man, that’s what he does,” Berube told the media after the victory. “He’s really good at protecting his partner and doing all that stuff, so I think Mo’s got a little more freedom. And quite frankly, when he [Carlo] came over here, I thought Mo’s game changed quite a bit.”
Moreover, the combination also played well on the defensive side of the ice. Rielly ended the game with a plus-2 plus/minus rating while blocking two shots and giving out a hit. Meanwhile, Carlo had a plus-3 rating while also blocking two shots in the game.
“Everyone in here wants to play well the first game. You work hard all summer — everyone — and you just want to get off on the right foot. We had lots of guys that did that,” Rielly said after the game. If Rielly and the rest of the team perform like they did in game one of the campaign, they will be celebrating many more victories in the future.
