The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into a crucial stretch of their season without one of their most important players. Defenseman Morgan Rielly will be sidelined until after the Winter Olympic break, and while the team hasn’t set a firm timeline for his return, it’s clear this isn’t just a short-term absence.
Rielly exited Toronto’s 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks late in the second period after sustaining an upper-body injury. He briefly tried to return but ultimately couldn’t continue. Head coach Craig Berube confirmed the next day in Calgary that Rielly’s injury had been lingering for some time and flared up during the game against Vancouver.
“I know that he left the bench and came back and tried it again, but nothing he could do,” Berube said. “This has kind of been a little bit lingering with him for a bit… it’s obviously gotten worse.”
That lingering issue might help explain some of Rielly’s struggles this season, particularly on the defensive end. Through 54 games, he’s tied with John Tavares for the team’s lowest plus-minus at minus-17. Not exactly the number you want to see next to your top-pair defenseman.
There was optimism surrounding Rielly heading into the year - reports of a strong offseason had fans and coaches hopeful for a bounce-back campaign. But if he’s been playing through discomfort for weeks, that could certainly be a factor in his uneven performance. Berube didn’t go as far as blaming the injury for Rielly’s dip in form, but he acknowledged it likely played a role.
“Any time you have some sort of lingering injury… it affects your play for sure,” Berube said. “I don’t think that was a big reason why his play dipped… but I think if you look at our team’s play during that stretch where we weren’t doing very well, he’s just part of it.”
Even with the defensive lapses, Rielly remains one of the Leafs’ most productive players. With 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists), he ranks sixth on the team in scoring and second among defensemen, trailing only Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
He’s been a fixture on the top power play unit and has even logged time on the penalty kill. Say what you will about his defensive zone play - his presence on the ice matters.
And now, Toronto has to figure out how to manage without him.
With Rielly unavailable for Monday’s game in Calgary, Jake McCabe moved up to the top pair alongside Brandon Carlo. The other defensive pairings saw Oliver Ekman-Larsson skate with Troy Stecher, while Simon Benoit slotted in next to Philippe Myers. It’s a reshuffled blue line that will need to hold the fort, especially with the Leafs fighting to stay in the playoff picture.
Berube didn’t commit to Rielly returning immediately after the Olympic break - the team’s first game back is February 25 against the Tampa Bay Lightning - but he did express optimism that the time off will be beneficial.
“The break will obviously, I think, do him a lot of good - getting a reset here and getting back and healthy and fresh going forward,” Berube said.
In the meantime, it’s next man up. The Leafs will need their depth defenders to step up and play smart, structured hockey. Myers and Benoit, in particular, will be asked to deliver quality minutes in Rielly’s absence.
“It’s a loss for the team, him not being there tonight,” Berube said. “Myers and Benoit will go in, and they’re going to have to really do a good job as a six-man unit out there tonight.”
There’s no replacing Morgan Rielly’s all-around impact - offensively, defensively, and in the locker room. But if the Leafs want to stay afloat in a tight Eastern Conference race, they’ll need to find a way to weather the storm until he’s ready to return.