Maple Leafs Have Big Decision to Make on Morgan Rielly

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox took a closer look at the pending questions surrounding Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. Noting that he’s among the most pressing issues for the Leafs over the course of this offseason and the 2021-22 campaign, GM Kyle Dubas might be forced to make a decision on the bluliner before he makes any real roster changes this summer.

Rielly is set to become a UFA next summer and will earn more than the $5 million AAV he makes now. Regardless of a flat salary cap NHL marketplace, this raise is a given, but the Leafs don’t have a lot of money to work with, especially considering they need to make decisions on their goaltending, namely Frederik Andersen and pending UFA Zach Hyman. Contract extension talks haven’t occurred yet, but how those talks go will shed a lot of light on what Dubas does over the next couple of months.

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Knowing that the Leafs will have another expensive deal on the books in 2022, the questions will be, what kind of priority to make Rielly, whether or not a player like Rasmus Sandin can take his spot and what the trade value is if Toronto shops Rielly in a trade?

The one thing Toronto can’t afford to do is let him leave for nothing like they’ve seen happen with players like Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey, Tyson Barrie, and Cody Ceci. Rielly is more valuable in a trade than any of those players and the Leafs need to maximize a return if they intend to move forward without him.

Ditching Rielly Would Be a Risk

As Fox rightfully points out, he is the longest-tenured Maple Leaf, an alternate captain, and was easily the Maple Leafs best-performing defenceman in their 2021 playoff series against Montreal. You don’t just find another Rielly if you plan to move Morgan Rielly.

So too, what about does it do to Toronto’s chances of competing if they move him? Essentially, if they can’t re-sign him, he’s an internal rental, but an important one. He gives the team a much greater chance of winning in 2021-22 than if he were not a part of the roster.

How Reliable is Sandin?

Fox also points out that Rielly’s value in Toronto could drop as Rasmus Sandin turns into the player many inside the organization think he could become. Fox writes of Rielly: “He’s also been usurped on Sheldon Keefe’s top power-play unit by the emerging and cap-kind Rasmus Sandin. That could diminish his point production as a Leaf in 2021-22.”

Dubas seems open to either option and isn’t ignorant to the fact he’s got a massive decision to make. He said, “Patience is a good thing. That said, we will investigate it here as we go onto the summer. We will definitely have a conversation with J.P. about where they may be at and what Morgan may want to do.”

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