Morgan Rielly Ready for a Fresh Start

Morgan Rielly is a focal point as training camp gets underway this week for the Maple Leafs. Toronto also has nine new faces that could be dressing on opening night. The team will try to put last season’s disaster behind them.

While roster turnover was expected, nine new faces seem like a lot. One player who was expected to be gone was Rielly. The Maple Leafs’ longest-tenured player was selected fifth overall by Toronto in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Last season, Rielly registered 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points in 78 games. The 36 points were his lowest in a season since the 2020-21 campaign when he registered 35 points in 55 games. Coupled with his minus-18 rating and poor defensive play, rumours began to circulate that it was time for the Maple Leafs to move on after 13 seasons.  

Rielly Rumors Were a Plenty

In June, it was reported that Rielly submitted a list of four Western Conference teams that he was willing to be traded to, but Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka confirmed to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston in a recent interview that a move was never as imminent as it felt to the public. 

“At no point did we ever have what I would characterize as a serious trade opportunity with Morgan Rielly,” Chayka said. 

With Rielly still in the fold, he is expected to take on a lesser role this season. The addition of Darren Raddysh should reduce some of his power-play minutes. The Maple Leafs don’t need Rielly to produce at the level he did earlier in his career.

New head coach Jim Hiller’s system may prove useful. Rielly had his best season (72 points) when Hiller was an assistant coach in 2018-19. Rielly’s stats were a stark contrast in his two seasons with former head coach Craig Berube. The goal is for Rielly to get back to displaying his puck-moving abilities. 

“As we think about this season and what we’re trying to accomplish and do, certainly getting the puck in the forwards’ hands in positions that they can go create offence more often is a really big part of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Chayka said. “If you look at Morgan’s career, he’s been able to skate, move the puck, and create offence. So at no point was this some situation where we didn’t want Morgan Rielly, or we don’t value Morgan Rielly. It’s the opposite.” 

Toronto GM Happy to Keep Rielly

While the full no-movement clause (NMC) and the four years at a $7.5-million AAV may have been a deterrent in Rielly getting traded, the alternate captain is where he truly wants to be, and ultimately that is an important factor for Chayka. 

“He’s just very grateful for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Chayka said. “Like, it’s very important to him. He loves it. Again, there have been times I’m sure he’s shared where he’s thought about different things or whatnot, but ultimately his heart is with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I do not doubt that.”