Morgan Rielly’s rough year in Toronto has put him in a different kind of spotlight, and the Maple Leafs may have a simple way to help him get back on track: ease off the gas.
After posting his lowest point total in the last five seasons and spending part of the offseason in trade-rumor territory, Rielly enters the new season with plenty to prove. The veteran defender has been with the team that drafted him through every high and low, and he has been candid about where things stand.
The commitment is there. The question is whether the workload still fits.
For most of his Leafs run, Rielly has been asked to do a lot. Since his second season, he’s averaged 22:03 of ice time, often handling top-pair responsibilities and carrying major expectations. But with age creeping in, the game getting faster, and his defensive issues becoming more exposed, that kind of load may no longer be the best use of his game.
There’s still a version of Rielly that can matter. He’s shown it before.
Under new head coach Jim Hiller, who was an assistant under Mike Babcock when Rielly was at his best, the blue-liner produced 72 points in 2018-19 and finished third in scoring among defenders. He came close again in 2021-22 with 68 points.
Since then, the offense has faded. Toronto is hoping the familiar voice behind the bench helps spark something, but at 32 years old, banking on that old scoring punch feels like a stretch.
That’s why a reduced role makes sense.
The Leafs’ projected alignment points Rielly toward the second pairing, with Jake McCabe slated to open on the first alongside Darren Raddysh. That setup would give Toronto a steadier top unit, while Rielly could operate in a spot that better matches where his game is right now. He doesn’t need to be the defender who shoulders everything anymore.
Pairing him with Raddysh sounds tempting on paper because both can help offensively, but balance matters here. Raddysh found real success last season next to the two-way J.J.
Moser, spending 934 minutes together with a +23 goal differential. For Rielly, the better fit appears to be a more defensive-minded partner.
Chris Tanev stands out as the obvious option if he’s healthy. Rielly has generally been at his best with someone who can handle the shutdown work, and Tanev would give him exactly that kind of cover. That kind of support could let Rielly focus more on driving play instead of constantly having to clean up the mess behind him.
His power-play role may shrink too. Raddysh’s heavy shot should anchor the top unit, leaving Rielly to fight for minutes on the second group, where he’d be competing with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Last season, he averaged 2:17 per game on the power play and came away with just six power play points, so the results there were limited anyway.
The broader idea is pretty straightforward: cut back the minutes, lower the burden, and see if Rielly can rediscover some rhythm. He can still be useful without being asked to do everything. In a second-pairing role, with a steadier partner and less pressure to carry the back end, he might be able to settle in and play cleaner hockey.
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