Morgan Rielly has been through many ups and downs as a Toronto Maple Leaf. He is the longest tenured player on the roster and has been with the organization since being drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.
For much of Rielly's early career with the Maple Leafs, the team often sat towards the bottom of the NHL. He was always looked upon as a leader in the locker room; many players respect him and see him as a key part of their success over the past decade.
This season took a turn for the worse as the Maple Leafs and Rielly struggled from the very beginning of the year. The Vancouver native struggled consistently in their own end, producing a -18 plus and minus, and only registered 36 points in 78 games, which is his lowest point total since the shortened 2020-21 campaign. With four years remaining on his contract, the idea of moving Morgan Rielly has never seemed better, but with his full no-movement clause, it simply lies in Rielly's hands.
Morgan Rielly's comments on what it means to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs hosted their season-ending locker room cleanout on Thursday, and many of the players spoke to the media, including Rielly, and he touched upon what it has meant to wear the blue and white and what his future may entail.
“I’ve always wanted to stay, I still wanna stay. I love playing here, I love being a Leaf."
This statement implies Rielly has no intentions of leaving the Maple Leafs, and hasn't been approached about a move in the future, he told reporters.
“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet, but, you know, after a year like this, after any year, but especially one like this, as an athlete, you have to be prepared for that. You know, it’s not the first time that it’s crossed my mind."
Big offseason ahead for the Maple Leafs
Heading into the offseason, it may be difficult to see what direction the organization goes. Without a general manager in place, he will ultimately be the deciding factor on whether to open the conversation with Rielly regarding his future. With how this past season went, many believe it is time for a new era in Maple Leafs hockey, and it may be beneficial for both sides to get a fresh start. Rielly later touched on how he felt the Maple Leafs season went wrong and why there was a lack of consistency.
“We had a good road trip going into the Olympic break and then we came back and we weren’t able to continue it. I think that there were other points during the season where we just weren’t able to be consistent enough to keep things going in that direction…I think whenever you have a year like this, there’s a number of things that need to be improved. I think the consistency was one of those things.”
The veteran defenceman's season with the Maple Leafs may have come to an end, but he is still looking to be a Maple Leaf for the future. Time will tell whether Rielly has played his final game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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