One of the key storylines for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason has been what the long-term status of defenseman Morgan Rielly will be. Rielly, who has four years left on his current contract, has heavily been involved in trade rumors, but as of now, remains with the club.
According to Maple Leafs Insider Jay Rosehill, there were multiple occasions last season in which Rielly was “exposed” and routinely caught out of position, resulting in goals against.
“I was partial to Oliver Ekman-Larsson last year over Morgan Rielly for sure,” he said. “I thought Rielly just constantly looked exposed, out of position, panicking and scrambling. Oftentimes in that league this day and age, at that position as a defenseman, your mistakes are exposed, and they’re highlighted and they’re crucial. And when Morgan Rielly was making mistakes, oftentimes it ended up in the back of the net.”
His fellow co-host Nick Alberga echoed those sentiments, saying it’s hard for him to envision where Rielly properly fits into the Toronto blue line corps.
“I don’t know what Morgan Rielly is at this point in his career, even from a deployment standpoint,” Alberga said.
Toronto Maple Leafs Insider Jay Rosehill Believes Oliver Ekman-Larsson Should Be Deployed Higher In Toronto’s Defense
According to Rosehill, who admitted that he was partial to Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s performance over Rielly’s, the Swedish blue liner should get increased opportunities under new head coach Jim Hiller.
“He just popped off and had a phenomenal season and kind of looked like a guy that was earlier in his career…in a much younger OEL, he was really solid. So hopefully, when guys do that, you just forget about them and assume they’re just going to do that forever. We’ll see if that’s the case or not,” Rosehill said.
Last season, which was his second playing with the Maple Leafs after signing as a free agent from the divisional rival Florida Panthers, Ekman-Larsson scored eight goals with 31 assists for 39 points in 78 games played. He also averaged 20:35 of ice time per game.
Morgan Rielly Appears Ready To Start This Season In Toronto
GettyPhoto by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
According to the most recent comments made by Rielly himself, it appears as though the longtime Leafs blue liner is preparing to start the season in Toronto.
“It’s been a great off-season,” Rielly said via The Toronto Star. “I think with some early talks about my future, and then coming home from representing Canada at the world championship and just kind of refocusing, I’ve just been in a good place.”
“My training has been really good, so I’m feeling really confident,” he continued. “I feel nervous. I feel excited, motivated. I just try not to take being a Leaf for granted. This is a great market to play in, a great place to live. Like I said, this is home now. To be a part of this team means a lot to me.”
Maple Leafs Insider Exposes Morgan Rielly’s Major Weakness