Toronto Trade Options for Morgan Rielly

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into an offseason with considerable uncertainty. They’ve missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. After how the 2025-26 season played out, it would appear that everyone on the team is under a microscope. 

According to NHL insider David Pagnotta, Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly is right near the top of that list. Rielly and the rest of the Maple Leafs defense were simply not good enough this season. The blue line finished near the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category.

However, before they part ways with Rielly, Toronto still needs to hire a new general manager. If the new GM decides that it’s actually time to move Rielly, there are a few Western Conference teams reported to be interested in him.

Toronto Trade Options for Rielly

Vancouver Canucks

Naturally, people are already connecting Rielly to his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. Returning to British Columbia might be one of the few scenarios that could entice him to waive his No Movement Clause (NMC).

The Canucks value puck-moving defensemen and inserting a motivated Rielly into their top four could be the defensive spark they are looking for.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks could be the best match amongst the teams reported to have interest in him. They don’t have many defensemen signed long-term, and since they have plenty of cap space ($43.6 million) to work with, Rielly could be an option for them.

The Sharks need someone who can play a lot of minutes and help guide a younger group of defensemen. That is something that Rielly is familiar with from his early years in Toronto.

From the Maple Leafs’ side, a deal with the Sharks is appealing. San Jose is one of the few teams that could take on Rielly’s full $7.5 million cap hit without forcing Toronto into any type of salary retention situation. However, the Sharks will likely want the Maple Leafs to sweeten the pot a little to make a deal more worthwhile.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a similar spot as the Sharks. The team has plenty of cap space, and their defense has required help for a while now. The idea of bringing in Rielly seems like a wise decision for Chicago. They need a veteran who can calm things down while mentoring their younger defensemen, like Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov.

The tough part will be convincing Rielly to waive his no-movement clause to go to Chicago. That’s what will make this one tricky. Chicago is still rebuilding, and it’s doubtful that Rielly would want to go from one team outside the playoffs to a Blackhawks team that is arguably in a worse position.

However, if they pitch him on the idea of stepping back into a true top-pair role and being the leader of an up-and-coming group of defensemen, maybe that’s something he considers.

Summer Cap Space Needed for Re-Tooling

According to puckpedia.com, the Toronto Maple Leafs have about $10.5 million in available cap space right now. Finding a team to take Rielly and his full $7.5 million cap hit brings Toronto up to $18 million. More than enough to add a top-six forward, a top-four defenseman, and fill in the gaps.

It will be an interesting summer for the Maple Leafs. Once their new GM is in place, many other pieces will start to move. We’ll see if Rielly is one of those pieces.