John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs Urged to Move Star Defenseman After Playoff Failure

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 21, 2025 7:10 AM ET

The fallout from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ latest postseason failure has already begun. With the team eliminated in a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7, questions about the futures of several key figures are intensifying.

One of the strongest criticisms came from Sportsnet’s JD Bunkis, who singled out defenseman Morgan Rielly as a member of a core that, in Bunkis' eyes, needs to be dismantled.

Rielly, who completed the third year of an eight-year, $60 million contract, has been with the Leafs since Toronto drafted him with the No. 5 pick of the 2012 NHL draft.

“I think he should be gone,” Bunkis said on Monday's "Leafs Talk" show. “Let's get into cuts—for me, it's start with this: Shanahan, gone. I don't see a scenario that makes any sense with Marner. And yeah, I think Rielly is the next cut.

”Those are the three automatics.”

Leafs Post-Mortem w/@mirtle & Kris Versteeg.

What happened, what’s on the table and what needs to change

: https://t.co/y3Apn4ogwR

Spotify: https://t.co/IQMDdVFvZx
— JD Bunkis (@JDBunkis) May 19, 2025

Rielly’s contract includes a full no-movement clause, but Bunkis suggested Toronto could apply pressure to force him to accept a trade elsewhere.

Rielly is coming off a 41-point regular season and scored seven more points in 13 playoff games. The veteran blueliner, however, was on the ice during multiple key breakdowns in Game 7 and finished the playoffs with a minus-2 valuation.

After the loss, Rielly acknowledged the team’s collapse in the second period.

“Obviously there was a period there where they get three, and we’re not able to weather the storm, or push back,” Rielly said. “In there somewhere is a pretty crucial part of the game.”

Rielly was presented with a scenario in which he would be moved from Toronto, but he wasn't that interested in entertaining it.