The Toronto Maple Leafs remain active in the trade market. General manager John Chayka recently took a massive swing by acquiring star forward Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The move strengthens Toronto’s offense after the team finished middle of the pack with just 252 goals last season. Nevertheless, there is still a clear need for another defenseman.
While this may be true, the Toronto Maple Leafs will find it difficult to land a star blueliner with Morgan Rielly on the team. The veteran defenseman was heavily linked with a move out of Toronto this past summer. In fact, the player even supplied Chayka with a list of teams he would be willing to play for. A deal, however, never materialized.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle is now reporting that Rielly is unlikely to be dealt midseason. According to the reporter, the star’s contract situation complicates any big trade. The defenseman has four seasons remaining on his eight-year, $60 million ($7.5 million AAV) deal. Mirtle believes that the only way Chayka successfully deals Rielly in the coming months is if Toronto is well out of the playoff picture.
The writer, however, asserts that Rielly is still more likely to be traded next summer. As Mirtle points out, the defenseman’s no-move clause transitions to a 10-team no-trade in July. With the veteran expected to remain with the club until the summer of 2028, it will affect how the Toronto Maple Leafs target a new blueliner now. It appears highly unlikely Chayka lands a true star defenseman.
Morgan Rielly’s Contract Makes Blockbuster Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Unlikely
Money is now a clear concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to PuckPedia.com, the club is currently over the salary cap limit by a few million dollars. Much like the Marchenko deal, Chayka has to offload salary to bring in a new player. Ideally, Toronto would be willing to move on from Rielly if it meant acquiring a top-line blueliner. Nevertheless, this will be difficult to do right now.
The Maple Leafs have recently been linked with high-profile RFAs Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin. While Chayka would certainly love to land one of these budding stars, pulling off a trade will be extremely difficult. Both blueliners are eyeing new long-term contracts in the $9 million AAV range. Simply put, Toronto cannot afford to appease either player at the moment.
Instead, the Toronto Maple Leafs are far more likely to ultimately land a depth piece in defense. It was recently revealed that Chayka is eyeing an upgrade on Troy Stecher. The veteran is widely viewed as a seventh blueliner on a good NHL team. Despite this, Stecher is logging nearly 18 minutes per game so far this season.
Toronto Still Depends on Veteran Blueliner
For now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to rely on Rielly as a key contributor. So far, the alternate captain is averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time on the campaign. This particular figure is his lowest average since the 2014-15 season. Nevertheless, only Darren Raddysh has received more ice time among Toronto’s blueliners this season.
Maple Leafs Trade Hindered by $60 Million Star’s Place in Team