The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent much of the offseason trying to reshape their defense. But the organization hasn’t really made much progress. Part of that lack of progress is that the Morgan Rielly trade speculation hasn’t produced anything.
The Leafs want to move Rielly, at least that’s the narrative, but it’s been nothing more than talk.
Rielly is 32 years old, carries a $7.5 million cap hit and is coming off a season in which his production declined. He’s also under contract through 2029-30.
On the surface, trading him makes sense, especially if the Leafs are looking to free up some cap space.
Yes, the Maple Leafs could clear significant salary, get younger and potentially bring back an asset for a defenseman who isn’t getting any younger.
But here’s the main issue.
Toronto might be looking at Rielly’s contract and his recent numbers while overlooking what he actually provides.
Rielly knows the organization. He knows the market. He knows what it’s like to play meaningful games under the Toronto spotlight. And perhaps most importantly, he remains one of the team’s better puck-moving defensemen.
The Maple Leafs have added defensive pieces this offseason, but they haven’t added another Morgan Rielly.
Even if fans aren’t completely sold on Rielly at this point in his career, there really isn’t a better option.
Maple Leafs Don’t Have an Obvious Replacement for Rielly
The biggest problem with trading Rielly is figuring out who actually replaces him.
It’s easy to say Toronto should move on. It’s considerably harder to find an option that can take over everything Rielly does for the team.
Rielly has spent 13 seasons with the Maple Leafs. Plus, he’s their longest-serving player and has nearly 1,000 NHL games under his belt.
That’s not something you simply replace by promoting another defenseman.
Toronto has younger options, but none of them comes into the season with the same combination of experience, puck movement and familiarity with the pressure that comes with playing defense for the Maple Leafs.
And that last part shouldn’t be dismissed.
Playing in Toronto isn’t like playing in most NHL markets. Every mistake gets magnified. Every bad stretch becomes a storyline. Even every playoff failure gets tacked on to the guy on the hook.
Rielly has lived through all of it.
If the Maple Leafs trade him, they’re not simply jettisoning an aging veteran with an onerous contract. They’re losing someone who already knows how to handle being in the Toronto fishbowl. And that’s not something that a potential replacement can easily handle.
What to read next:
Finding a Rielly Replacement Won’t Be Easy
The other problem is timing.
If Toronto had a clear replacement available on the trade market, perhaps moving Rielly would make more sense. But at this point in the offseason, the Maple Leafs aren’t exactly shopping in a market overflowing with quality defensemen.
Free agency isn’t much better.
The best options are already gone, and Toronto would likely have to overpay to convince another team to part with a meaningful defenseman through trade.
That’s the irony.
The Maple Leafs could trade Rielly to save money and acquire an asset, only to turn around and spend that money trying to replace what they just lost.
And there’s no guarantee the replacement would actually be better.
Rielly’s contract isn’t perfect. His recent production hasn’t been ideal making those legitimate concerns.
But the Maple Leafs need to be careful about confusing expensive with replaceable.
They have already changed a significant portion of their roster. Stability has some value too.
Rielly might not be the defenseman Toronto wants to have five years from now.
But with the season looming on the horizon, the Maple Leafs would be foolish to think can easily find someone better right now.
For better or worse, the Leafs might just be better off holding on to Rielly at this juncture.
Maple Leafs Could Regret Trading Morgan Rielly