Maple Leafs defenseman named on pre-season Trade Watch List

It is expected for the Toronto Maple Leafs to get involved in some trades at some point this season. They have an eye on trying again to compete for the Stanley Cup and with the amount of talent on their roster right now, should continue buying at the appropriate price. But, could they sell off their most tenured player as well?

Morgan Rielly has been here since the Maple Leafs selected him fifth overall all the way back at the 2012 NHL Draft several general managers ago. He has remained a somewhat consistent player on the blue line -- with his highs being pretty high and lows still being at the top-four defenseman calibre level -- but now his name has been involved in trade rumours for the last several months.

And now, before training camps start around the NHL, in a recent look around the league at potential impact players that could be on the move this upcoming season, Elite Prospects' Cam Robinson included Rielly's name on his list.

Rielly has five years remaining on a contract that carries a $7.5-million AAV -- not the most affordable deal out there. And as Robinson notes, Rielly hasn't had the most impactful couple of seasons and especially under Craig Berube last season.

"On the ice, Rielly’s role has quietly been reduced. Once the focal point of Toronto’s offence from the back end, his power-play usage dipped below two minutes per game last season, representing a sharp contrast to his peak years. That drop in opportunity led to an eight-year low in offensive metrics nearly across the board. That, combined with a large contract and aging curve, raises questions about whether he still fits the Leafs’ long-term direction," Robinson wrote.

"Those same questions would crop up in the minds of any GM considering acquiring him as well.
The bigger catch: Rielly has been clear he wants to stay, and even if he softened, the pool of teams with the cap space and desire for his deal is slim. Trading him isn’t impossible, but it would take the perfect storm of willingness, fit, and financial creativity."

Rielly has a full no-movement clause, so he gets to call the shots if he's traded or not this season. But the writing can be on the wall if the Leafs go out and get someone like Rasmus Andersson in a separate deal, or a different puckmover, for Rielly to be leaving Toronto. As Robinson mentions, it might take something to happen this season for the veteran defenseman to be more willing to get traded and with a massive cap hit attached for five more years, some money changing hands.

It will certainly be something to keep an eye on, especially if Rielly still isn't fitting in well under Berube to start this season.