Morgan Rielly has been at the center of plenty of summer chatter, and one possible answer to Toronto’s roster puzzle is the kind of swap that sounds wild at first glance: a deal built around Steven Stamkos.
The idea is simple enough. Rielly has been discussed as a player whose future with the Maple Leafs is still unsettled, with reports shifting from him being willing to work toward a deal, to him being viewed as part of the solution, to word that he is open to expanding his options.
Moving him is no easy task, especially with his $7.5-million contract and his control over where he goes. That makes any trade feel like a long shot unless the right team is willing to take on the money and the player agrees.
Still, there’s a version of this where both clubs get something they need.
For Toronto, Stamkos would fill the exact kind of top-six hole the team has been trying to address. For Nashville, Rielly could bring some needed help on the back end and lighten the load for Roman Josi. It’s a swap that fits the moment for both sides, even if it would take some convincing to make real.
Stamkos, now 36, is still producing like a star. He scored 42 goals in Nashville last season, kept up his elite work in the faceoff circle, and added 89 hits.
Over his career, the two-time Cup winner has piled up 1,256 points in 1,246 games, with 624 goals and 632 assists. He has also won more than 50% of his faceoffs across nearly 14,000 draws and has more than 1,300 hits.
The injuries that once raised questions are no longer the headline; durability and reliability are.
That kind of player would change the look of Toronto’s top six immediately. The idea of Stamkos lining up with Auston Matthews and Gavin McKenna is the sort of thing that sounds almost too good to be real.
The contract side is part of what makes the concept workable. Stamkos makes just $500,000 more than Rielly, and his deal carries far less term, lining up with a win-now two-year window.
The harder question is whether Toronto wants to trade Rielly’s steady puck-moving for more scoring punch. He still has value in that area, but not as the team’s No. 1 option.
There’s also the matter of both players agreeing to it. Rielly is said to want to head west and away from the spotlight, while Stamkos would be getting a chance to win in his hometown, basically. That gives the framework some life, even if nothing is concrete.
Toronto might have to sweeten the package to get Nashville to part with a 40-goal scorer, but the Leafs would be getting a player five years younger who is technically cheaper and could be a strong complement to Josi. It’s not a done deal, but it is the kind of move that exists on the board if both teams decide to push it through.
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