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Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Hypothetical Morgan Rielly Trades

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks to make a play against Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks to make a play against Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 21, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
MONTREAL, QC – MAY 24: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs   (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

It’ll be a sad moment if/when the Toronto Maple Leafs trade Morgan Rielly, but it’s a realistic possibility this offseason.

Morgan Rielly is the longest tenured player on the Toronto Maple Leafs. After getting drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Rielly has played almost 600 games with the team.

Throughout his journey, he’s been the team’s best defenseman, arguably, ever since he stepped on the ice for the first time in 2013. His smooth-skating is a joy to watch and his ability to produce offensively makes him a weapon on the blue-line.

Not only has he been great on the ice, but off the ice, he’s been a great ambassador for the team and a wonderful presence in the community. He’s always been honest in interviews and although he’s only 27-years-old, he always feels much more mature than his age would suggest.

Many people thought that he should have been the captain of this team, prior to the John Tavares signing, and those thoughts were incredibly justified.

Although he’s done everything you could ask for, everybody needs to understand the reality of the situation. He’s not a number-one defenseman. He’s a great number-two, but on a Stanley Cup winning team, you wouldn’t want him as your best player.

As a result, he shouldn’t make the same amount of money as a number-one guy. Rielly currently makes $5M, which is an underpayment for his services. However, based on the Leafs salary cap situation, they can’t afford to give him much more than that for his next contract.

If he’s looking for $7M and the salary cap isn’t going up for a few years, that’ll be a tough contract to provide. Instead of putting that money towards Rielly, the Leafs would potentially be in a better situation to trade him and use that money elsewhere. Whether that’s for another top-six winger or on a legitimate top-defenseman.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs decide to trade Rielly this offseason, here are three hypothetical deals.

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