Does Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Morgan Rielly Need a Change of Scenery?

Is it time for a change of scenery for Toronto Maple Leafs Morgan Rielly?

Daily Faceoff: David Pagnotta, when asked if it’s time for a change of scenery for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. He’s got four years left on his contract at $7.5 million per, and is more of a second-pairing guy. There should be interest in Rielly and his contract with the salary cap going up.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Irfaan Gafaar: “The bigger question for me is this, let me and let me ask you, do you think it’s time for a change of scenery for Morgan Rielly and both the Morgan Rielly and the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Pagnotta: “Yeah, the short answer is, yes, I do. You know, they explored after the after the, after last season ended. Brad Treliving GM at time, spoke with Morgan Rielly about his future, what he wants to do, where his head’s at. He wanted to have a good offseason. It seemed like he did. He came to the Training Camp all gung ho and his teammates were impressed with his conditioning. And it just didn’t translate on the ice.

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And I think Morgan Rielly has shifted from a first pair of defenseman to a second pair of defenseman. And like it’s 32, he’s got four more years on his contract after this season. Got a $7.5 million cap hit. Caps going up $104 million next season, 113.5 the year after that, projected to be over 120, around 123, in three years. Seven and a half million dollar cap hit for a second-pair defenseman was going to log 16, 17, 18 minutes a night. That’s pretty good. Solid value.

And there were teams that poked around on Rielly during the season. Was at least one team that had discussions with the Maple Leafs and Treliving at the time, the week of the trade deadline, to see if there was a possibility of making something happen. I think whoever comes in (A) is going to have to talk to Morgan Rielly, um, but have a, an honest conversation with Morgan Rielly. And with him owning a full no-movement clause, he will dictate his future.

And he was asked before their first home game, excuse me, their last home game on Monday. Is he treating it like his, potentially his last home game as a Leaf? And he said, ‘Look, I’m not gonna lie, back in my head it’s there. There’s that possibility you’re thinking of it. That’s pretty telling, because I think he’s heard the noise all season. He knows about the conversation. He was part of it last, last offseason.

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You know, I think the leaves take a serious look at exploring this, whoever’s in charge. And I think there will be a lot of interest in that player, because you’re not training for the player he was. You’re training for the player he is now. And again, second pair guy logging about 18 minutes a night at seven and a half million. There’s value there.

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