The pressure is on Morgan Rielly to have a bounce-back season in 2025-26

When it comes to Toronto Maple Leafs in desperate need of a bounce-back season in 2025-26, defenceman Morgan Rielly tops the list.

Last season was a very inconsistent year for the longest-tenured Maple Leaf, and Rielly heard about it during his exit interview with general manager Brad Treliving. Toronto’s GM was very open and honest about what the expectations of Rielly’s game were, and explained what he wanted to see from the Leafs’ blueliner heading into this season.

“Morgan and I had a real good chat at the end of the year and a real 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 he took to heart,” Treliving said on Wednesday. 41 points in 82 games, and another seven points in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff might be a good season for some, but both sides know how talented Rielly truly is, and what he’s capable of doing on a nightly basis to help the Maple Leafs win. At 31 years old and entering the later stages of his prime, getting back on track starts, and ends with hard work. Something Treliving has noticed from the vet.

“I don’t know if there was many days that he wasn’t in this facility about a week out after the end of the season. Real proud of the summer he’s put in, and he’s taking it to heart. 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.”

While Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev may have informally taken over the top-pair spots on the Maple Leafs’ blueline, Rielly can make a massive impact on Toronto’s top power-play unit. Rielly’s getting the first look on PP1, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson waiting in the wings for another shot if things don’t quite go as planned. Rielly had 14 power-play points last season, scoring once, which was down from 20 the year before, and it’s worth noting his career high is 25, which frankly, with the talent Toronto deploys, should be the goal this season.

Rielly doesn’t have a booming slap shot, he actually hardly ever takes slap shots, but he loves to use seeing eye wrister to get pucks on net, and his offensive instincts are strong, to move the puck, and try to set up either Auston Matthews or William Nylander in their sweet spots. It’s going to be interesting to watch a Leafs’ power play without Mitch Marner. It’s going to be important for Rielly to become a facilitator, but also to keep it simple, and direct, as the Maple Leafs need to ensure a sense of urgency with a man advantage, and consistently approach each power play with that very mindset.

When Rielly goes, the Maple Leafs go

Rielly’s game has a massive impact on the win column for the Maple Leafs, and it’s been that way for quite some time now. Looking back at last season, the 31-year-old posted five goals and 38 points in Toronto’s 52 wins, meanwhile in their 30 losses, Rielly scored two goals and added just one assist. Three points in 30 losses! Rielly may be the biggest X-Factor the Maple Leafs have on their roster.

Rielly has five seasons left on his contract at $7.5 million AAV, and with a full no-movement clause, heading out of town hasn’t ever really been an option. There were some rumblings about being approached by Treliving over the summer, but as the Leafs’ general manager stated earlier, the candid conversation happened right after the season, and the message was very clear – we need you at your best.

Should Rielly not be able to consistently produce this season, be effective on the power play, and sound defensively at 5 vs. 5, the noise is going to become deafening after the season. There seems to be a bit of a ‘scape-goat mentality’ in Toronto, and with Marner in Vegas, the natural progression likely lands on Rielly’s lap.

While Treliving pushed Rielly to get better this summer, and back on track, the work the Leafs’ defenceman has put in hasn’t gone unnoticed. Rielly’s taken the summer as a time of reflection, and getting back to the basics, of attention to details on all the little things, and it’s shown early on.

“Looks unbelievable,” said centre Scott Laughton, who is another player looking to bounce back this season. “I love that guy … one of my favourite teammates I’ve ever played with.”

Newcomer Nic Roy wasn’t super familiar with Rielly’s game before joining the Leafs, but is absolutely loving what he’s seeing.

“Morgan Rielly’s been buzzing in those skates,” Roy said after day one of camp. “I wasn’t there before. I’ve seen him, played against him, but he’s in really good shape.”

Regardless of the coaching involved, the push from management, it starts and ends with Rielly. If the veteran defenceman is going to right the ship and find a level of consistency on both sides of the puck, it has to come from within. Rielly used the summer to put in the work, and instead of hitting the ‘reset’ button, he smashed the ‘reflection’ button.

“ I did a lot of reflecting over the course of the last year and during the off-season,” Rielly said. “Had some healthy but challenging conversations with a number of people, and most importantly, myself. 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.”

Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail. Entering the 2025-26 season, Rielly’s feeling prepared as ever after a summer of reflection. Bounce-back season incoming? Everyone around the Maple Leafs certainly hope so.