Morgan Rielly was previously thought to be fairly strong in his conviction to go to the Western Conference if any trade eventually happened, but now that might not be the case.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could be looking to move on from Rielly. The 32-year-old defenseman was once their top blueliner but has since had to taken a step back in his role and with four years left on his contract, now might be the ideal time for everyone to part ways and for Rielly to get a fresh start somewhere else.
The only thing preventing that from happening is Rielly holding a no-movement clause -- meaning, he gets full control of what team he gets traded to.
During the height of trade talks around Rielly, the noise was that he wanted to go west. Not necessarily back home to Vancouver or even in the Pacific Northwest in a trade with the Seattle Kraken, but to be a solution somewhere else and to not have to face the Leafs that often or come to Toronto multiple times a season.
Morgan Rielly's change of heart could make a trade happen soon
But according to a new report, it seems like now he is more open to a move within the Eastern Conference. The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, in a big trade board post, mentioned that there are suitors in the East.
"Rielly’s tenure in Toronto may be coming to an end. The Leafs have a general sense of which teams he would waive his NMC for, and while Rielly wouldn’t mind going to the Western Conference, he is open to options in the East," Pagnotta wrote.
It certainly makes sense now. Rielly was previously thought of an ideal target for the likes of the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, but other moves ruined those plans. The Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet of Leo Carlsson caused the Ducks' cap hit to dissolve and now they are pinching every penny -- so they can't take on Rielly's $7.5-million AAV. And the Sharks decided to go with Darnell Nurse and pay Jacob Trouba a whole lot of money instead of trading for Rielly.
That now leaves the Leafs and Rielly in an interesting position. But, there is at least one team out there that has been vaguely linked.
Pagnotta linked the Philadelphia Flyers to Rielly, as the only Eastern Conference team to potentially show some interest. There could be something to work out in the coming weeks -- since the Flyers do have ample cap space after not having to pay Leo Carlsson $18 million, so they could take Rielly as an upgrade on their blue line. And, they do need a power-play quarterback.
It's an interesting option and if Rielly is open to go to Philadelphia, then it could very well happen.
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