Morgan Rielly’s summer looked very different from what many expected. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was widely linked with a possible trade, and he even submitted a short list of teams he would accept a move to. Yet, with training camp less than a month away, Rielly remains in Toronto and now sounds increasingly comfortable with that reality. At 32, he knows his game has come under scrutiny, but he also sees an opportunity to help a revamped Leafs team respond after a disappointing season. For now, his expectation is clear: he plans to be wearing blue and white when the season begins.
Why does Morgan Rielly expect to remain with the Maple Leafs?
The trade talk appears to have lost some of its force as the summer has gone on. Morgan Rielly acknowledged that the speculation was not difficult to handle, largely because he had the right people around him and chose to focus on his preparation.“I just feel grateful to be part of this organization and this team and think there’s great things ahead and looking forward to being a part of it,” Rielly said before taking part in Hockey Night in Brampton. “(Putting aside trade rumours) is not as hard as it seems. I’m lucky to have great people around me and I’ve enjoyed the off-season.“You learn from experiences in the past. I’ve been training hard and looking forward to getting going.”That stance matters because Toronto still has a major salary-cap problem to solve. The Leafs are roughly $2.7 million over the cap with their Sept. 29 opener against the Montreal Canadiens approaching. General manager John Chayka therefore still has work to do, but moving Rielly no longer looks like an unavoidable outcome.New head coach Jim Hiller also made it clear in June that he would be comfortable having the veteran defenseman on his blue line.
Can Morgan Rielly still play a major role for Toronto?
There is a fair argument that Rielly’s $7.5 million annual cap hit will remain a difficult part of Toronto’s roster decisions. His performances over the past two seasons have drawn criticism, particularly after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs last spring.Still, removing him would create another concern. Rielly’s durability has value, especially with Chris Tanev’s health remaining something Toronto must monitor. Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae should strengthen the defense, but neither automatically replaces what Rielly brings in experience and availability.He is also only 49 games away from reaching 1,000 appearances for Toronto, a milestone achieved by just six players in franchise history.“It’s a cool opportunity, but I just want to play well and I want to help the team,” Rielly said. “If you play long enough, you get an opportunity to hit certain milestones, but that’s not really what matters. It’s more about the team and as a group we want to improve on what we did last season.“I want to be a part of that and help. Whenever there is an overhaul after a down year, as players, you almost want that. You’re driven and motivated to bounce back and to play well. I’m excited for the season.”That may be the clearest indication of where Rielly stands. The rumours created uncertainty, but his focus has shifted toward proving he can still be useful to a Toronto team that needs a response.
