Morgan Rielly lands on latest trade board from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos

It seems like the question marks around Morgan Rielly’s place with the Toronto Maple Leafs are never ending. And now, after a poor season and new management in place, his future is even more uncertain.

On Wednesday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos released the latest edition of his trade board. Rielly is the sole Maple Leaf included on the list, with Kypreos writing that Toronto is actively looking into possible moves:

As I wrote about Rielly in April, before Toronto’s new front office was put in place, industry sources believed the Leafs would be looking into moving on from their longest-tenured player. That remains true, now that Mats Sundin and John Chayka are in place. The way it’s been told to me is that Toronto is looking into things, Rielly is aware of it, and that he will be presented with a few options if they arise. Rielly still has no-movement protection for the next two years, but the belief is that wouldn’t be a major hurdle to overcome. However, if there isn’t anything on offer that Toronto is happy with, it will keep him.

Rielly has four seasons remaining on his eight-year deal, carrying an AAV of $7.5 million. He has played with the Maple Leafs his whole 13-year career since originally being selected fifth-overall by the franchise in 2012. At his end-of-year media availability in April, Rielly reiterated his desire to stay in Toronto even longer.

“I’ve always wanted to stay,” Rielly said. “I still wanna stay. I love playing here, I love being a Leaf.”

The 32-year-old defender’s no-movement clause has previously been a hinderance to any deal getting done, though that could change this summer. In April, he acknowledged the possibility he would have to waive his NMC to facilitate a trade.

“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” Rielly said. “But, you know, after a year like this, after any year, but especially one like this, as an athlete, you have to be prepared for that. You know, it’s not the first time that it’s crossed my mind.”

Since Rielly’s comments, Toronto has revamped their front office, with John Chayka taking over as general manager and Mats Sundin stepping in as a senior executive advisor. With the first-overall pick in this summer’s draft, the duo is now focused on retooling the team heading into next season.