Many were concerned about how the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to perform without star defenseman Morgan Rielly in the lineup.
It is safe to say that things are going pretty good.
While Rielly has been serving his five-game suspension, the Maple Leafs have gone on a little bit of a heater, winning four straight games, with players like Bobby McMann stepping up while Auston Matthews closes in on the 50-goal mark.
The little run has helped push the Leafs back into the top three of the Atlantic Division, and is proving they can win without one of their pieces in action.
Rielly is eligible to return to the lineup when the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, as his suspension was upheld by the NHL on Tuesday.
On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Colby Cohen explained what has been working for the Leafs in Rielly’s absence.
Frank Seravalli: It’s amazing to look at these numbers over the last two seasons. Any time they have been without Morgan Rielly, 19-2-1. When they do have Rielly in the lineup, 61-35-18.
Colby Cohen: It’s certainly not anecdotal anymore, that’s a lot of games. We’re not talking about five games where they played well. Something that happens when you lose a star player is that everybody bands together and plays 10% harder, 15% harder. I think Jake McCabe deserves a lot of credit for the way he has stepped up in the absence of Morgan Rielly. He’s taken on a little bit more offense, which isn’t necessarily his thing, while continuing to defend hard and play hard.
Those are glaring numbers. The only thing I will say…what I’ve noticed over the years in the playoffs, even when the Toronto Maple Leafs flame out, the one guy to me that always really elevates his game is Morgan Rielly.
You can watch the full segment, and entire episode here…
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