Morgan Rielly
Age: 29 (Turns 30 this season)
Height/Weight: 6′ 1″, 222 LBS
Current Contract: $7.5 Million Cap-Hit. 8 years, Expires in 2030
Draft: 2012 NHL Entry Draft (1st round, 5th overall)
Acquired: Draft
Role: Defenseman / Alternate. Possibly miscast, at this point, as a #1 Defenseman.
Captain Career Highs: Goals – 20 (2018-19), Assists – 58 (2021-22), Points – 72 (2018-19)
Last Year’s Scoring: 65 GP, 4 G, 37 A, 41 PTS
Last Year 5v5 Scoring/ Rate: 65 GP, 3 G, 16 A, 19 PTS. 1.05 (PTS/60)
On-Ice 5v5 Stats: Corsi-For % – 51%; Shots-For % – 51%; Scoring-Chances-For % – 52%; Goals-For % – 51%; Expected Goals % – 51%
Status: Current #1 defenseman. May lose top power-play role to Klingberg.
Active Expectations: Looking to rebound from a down year in 2022-23 by building on the momentum from an excellent playoffs.
The problem with Rielly is that he’s got an incredibly high cap hit for a 30 year-old second pairing defenseman. Hopefully he can find another year or two of elite production, but his defense isn’t compensated much by just one point per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice-time.
Playoff Rielly is worth every penny, but at this point it’s hard to know what you’re going to get. The Leafs would be a lot better if Rielly wasn’t counted on to be their top guy.