Morgan Rielly eager to bounce back after doing some soul searching in offseason

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly is committed to rebounding from a tough 2024-25 campaign and making a greater impact on the team.

The regular season was not kind to Rielly, who struggled with consistency and defensive lapses that resulted in fans pondering his future with the team. He did see some improvements after the trade deadline when he found a consistent partner in Brandon Carlo, and his numbers in the postseason saw an uptick.

But he wants to play well from start to finish, as he told reporters during the start of training camp on Wednesday.

“ I did a lot of reflecting over the course of the last year and during off off-season.  Had some healthy but challenging conversations with a number of people, and most importantly, myself,” he said. “I believe that I did everything I could to be prepared for a great season, and I think that’s the truth for all of our guys.  I know everyone puts a lot of pressure on themselves approaching a new season, and you try to do everything you can to be prepared.  So for me, I took steps and my goal was to leave no stone unturned in trying to bounce back and have a great year.”

People around the team are certainly taking notice of how motivated he is to improve and how much preparation he took to give himself the best chance to succeed. New addition Nicolas Roy told reporters on Monday that Rielly was one player who stood out on skates during the summer, saying that he was ‘buzzing’.

GM Brad Treliving pointed out that he spoke candidly with Rielly at the end of last season, and the defenceman took to heart what was needed to improve.

“Morgan and I had a real good chat at the end of the year and an honest chat about where his year was at,  what I think he’s capable of, what he’s capable of.  I’ll just say it’s something that he took to heart,” he said. “ I don’t know if there was many days that he wasn’t in this facility from where we kept him after the end of the season.  Real proud of the summer he’s put in; he’s taking it to heart and he’s a big piece for us. Getting Morgan Rielly back  to the level that we know he’s capable of will have an impact on our team.”

Rielly’s efforts to improve himself are doing what is best for the team, playing to his strengths, and being more willing to shoot the puck. The work towards the improvements starts at training camp, but he knows it will be a daily process as the season progresses to ensure he is prepared for the trials and tribulations to come.

One aspect that is driving his motivation is filling the void left behind by Mitch Marner, who is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

“It’s challenging. You know someone and you become friends with them,  but people make choices. As a player and as teammates up here, you have to carry on,” he said. “ We have a new challenge now this year and this training camp.  Guys leave all the time, and I mean, Mitch was a polarizing guy because of how talented he was. But for us, it’s onward, and we’re looking forward to hitting the ice tomorrow. That’s what our focus is.”