Following what was a truly disappointing campaign for the Toronto Maple Leafs that resulted in missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016, multiple executive changes were made by the club, including at both the general manager and head coaching positions.
While plenty of the speculation surrounding new general manager John Chayka’s long-term vision for the team has been about whether or not captain Auston Matthews will be a part of it, another longtime Maple Leafs veteran has found himself at the center of trade rumors, and his future with the club is cloudy at best.
There is a possibility that the Maple Leafs could consider trading veteran defenseman Morgan Rielly, who has played with the club since they selected him in the first round (fifth overall pick) of the 2012 NHL Draft. But will Chayka ask Rielly to submit a list of teams that he’d be willing to accept a trade to?
According to one noted NHL Insider, there could be another avenue.
Could The Toronto Maple Leafs Buy Out The Remaining Term Of Defenseman Morgan Rielly’s Contract?
While moving on from Rielly could be difficult considering the remaining term on his contract along with his no-movement clause, there is another avenue that Chayka could consider if he ultimately decides that the blue liner doesn’t fit his long-term vision for the club.
According to NHL Insider Matt Larkin, Chayka could consider buying out the rest of Rielly’s contract, which still has
“The Leafs and new GM John Chayka find themselves in quite the quagmire with Rielly,” Larkin wrote for The Daily Faceoff. “He’s no longer the puck-moving defenseman they need him to be. He’s not a $7.5-million player despite his scoring contributions and leadership. The team would likely be better off moving on from him – but he controls whether he goes at all via his no-movement clause, and his trade value isn’t particularly high given the performance doesn’t match the price tag. The savings would be significant on a buyout at $4 million in each of the first four years, but eight years paying him would be tough to stomach.”
Rielly, who scored 11 goals with 25 assists this season, has tallied 98 goals with 451 assists in 951 career NHL games played. Additionally, he’s scored 15 goals and 32 assists in 70 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Morgan Rielly Prefers To Remain With The Maple Leafs
While there were difficult circumstances surrounding the 2025-26 season and the immediate aftermath of major changes, Rielly made it clear that he wants to be part of the solution moving forward.
“You want to be able to stick together,” Rielly said. “There’s times where there are uncomfortable conversations or hard conversations in here, but I think that they get handled well by both the people hearing it and the people delivering the message as well. I think there’s just an element of respect.”
He’s also already got his eyes focused on what he’d like to accomplish next season.
“Always,” he said. “Even early on at the end of the offseason, you’re thinking about what you might change moving forward or what you may change next summer, things like that.”
Maple Leafs Could Consider Difficult Option For Morgan Rielly