Rielly staying, Leaf milestones, and the contract limit: Leaflets

We are getting dangerously close to the time when interesting things start happening with the NHL. By next week we might even be hearing about captain’s skates and starting the conversations about which players are in the best shape of their lives.

I joke, but it’s better than the absolute dead zone of August.

In that spirit, I’ll keep Leaflets short again this week and hope for something more interesting to come in the next seven days.

Morgan Rielly’s milestone

I don’t think you can say that any player deserves a milestone. I don’t think the Maple Leafs owe any player a shot at a milestone. Despite that, I’m happy to see that Morgan Rielly will likely get to play 1,000 games as a Maple Leaf.

The 1,000 game mark with the Maple Leafs is a pretty limited feat considering how low the franchise has been around and the company is pretty elite. George Armstrong, Tim Horton, Borje Salming, Dave Keon, and Ron Ellis are the only ones to pull it off, meaning Salming was the last player to hit the mark for the Maple Leafs, with Mats Sundin leaving for the Canucks just 19 games shy of the mark.

If Rielly runs out his contract with the Leafs he’d have a good chance at being the all time leader in games played for the Maple Leafs but we’ll pump the brakes on that one for now. We’ll see if he can earn an extended run with the club this season, and if he gets another season he may eclipse everyone but Armstrong and Horton.

Rielly also will likely hit 100 goals this year and finish the season 12th on the Maple Leafs all-time points list.

As much as he’s been a lightning rod for criticism, he’s an all-time Leaf.

A few other milestones to watch

William Nylander has a big year ahead of him as he is eight goals shy of 300, nine points shy of 700, and could end the season as high as fifth on the all-time Leafs scoring list.

Auston Matthews will get his 800th career point, and his 700th game played. If he stays healthy it’s possible he could jump past Dave Keon for third on the Maple Leafs all-time points list.

John Tavares will likely enter the top ten for Maple Leafs goals and points. He’ll likely get his 1,200th point, and will almost certainly be one of the top-50 NHL scorers of all-time when the season ends. He’ll also likely hit game 1,300.

A healthy Chris Tanev will hit game 900. Oliver Ekman-Larsson could hit game 1,200.

Time for cuts

This probably doesn’t induce anxiety in many people but the Maple Leafs sitting at 49 player contracts out of 50 is like seeing my phone on 5%. Something doesn’t need to be done urgently, but something will need to be done eventually.

It’s entirely possible that this lineup is the group that will start the season for the Maple Leafs, and that’s fine. I’m not sure whether they will warrant a “cup contender” label, but they seem like they will be battling for a playoff spot. The right goaltending will ultimately prove me right or wrong.

The issue is health. The issue is the number of variables on such a radically revamped lineup. There should be more flexibility that one open contract provides. One of the strongest moves the Maple Leafs made last season was claiming Troy Stecher off of waivers. There are now barriers to making similar moves this season.

While there is no need to panic about it, I’m curious if we see the Maple Leafs jettison some of the depth at some point or if they are counting on waivers claims through training camp to find a balance, but for me personally, I’d be happiest with 47 or fewer SPCs.