Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly Suspended 5 Games by NHL Department of Player Safety, What Happens Next

This comes following an in-person hearing with the NHL that was later moved to a virtual call because of the snowstorm currently hitting New York City.

Rielly received the suspension because of his cross-check to the head of Ridly Greig after Greig took a slap shot into Toronto's empty net on Saturday night.

The league had the option to suspend Rielly for six games or more after offering him an in-person hearing and have elected to go with five. The full explanation for Rielly's suspension can be found here.

Rielly will forfeit $195,312.50 during his five-game suspension.

What happens next?

The Maple Leafs will be forced to rely on a few of their depth defensemen for the next __ games. That includes a player like William Lagesson, who's only appeared in one game (against Ottawa on Saturday) since Dec. 27.

Rielly being out will also affect their defensemen currently in the lineup. Rielly averages the most ice time of any skater on the team at 24:21, nearly three minutes more than the next player, TJ Brodie, who averages 21:44 per game.

Timothy Liljegren skated alongside Brodie at practice on Monday and is projected to remain there for their game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. While it'll be a bit of a jump for the 24-year-old defender, it'll also be a chance for him to find his game after struggling in the first half of the season.

"Any time you are all of a sudden needed that much more, you think that much less. You just go out and play. Sometimes, it can be beneficial to a player, too," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said about Liljegren on Monday.

Appeal coming?

Rielly has 48 hours to appeal the suspension if he chooses to go that route. Because the discipline fell under the six-game threshold, there is only one appeal process and that will be by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.