Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Scenarios for the Future of Morgan Rielly

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 24: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his goal near Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 24, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 22: Morgan Rielly (C), fifth overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Re-Sign Him to Extension

Although I just mentioned that Rielly’s contract probably isn’t going to skyrocket in the next season, it’s always better to negotiate against yourself, then another 10-15 teams who would be interested in Rielly’s services.

There’s always one or two teams with a ton of cap-space that overpay for a defenseman and that could happen to Rielly if he hits the open market next offseason.

If Rielly wants to stay in Toronto and Toronto wants him to be here long-term, there’s no reason not to sign him to an extension now, instead of contract talks weighing on them for the entire 2021-22 season.

Rielly has never played for a different organization and seems to love being a Leaf, so both parties should want to get a deal done as soon as possible. Rielly has had serious injury problems in the past, so getting a guaranteed contract early could be something he wants to do.

Toronto’s defense, and top-four specifically, will look much worse without Rielly and since it’s very hard to find a top-four defense via trade/free agency already, signing Rielly now could be a smart move for both parties.

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