The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a big transitional summer as they try to shuffle some pieces around on their roster and quickly jump right back into playoff contention. But, maybe the biggest question mark outside of the very top players, is the future of defenseman Morgan Rielly.
The 32-year-old blueliner is the longest-tenured player on this Toronto roster, playing all 943 career games in the Blue and White since he was drafted fifth overall by this team in 2012 and several front offices ago. Somehow, he has survived a whole lot of turnover but might not last this upcoming offseason.
NHL insider reveals the future of Morgan Rielly on the Maple Leafs
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos drops a major update on Friday in his latest post. One major point was just what exactly the Leafs were asking in a possible Matthew Knies trade, and the other half was on Rielly and what this team might do with him in the near future.
Kypreos speculated that the remaining six games on the Leafs' schedule could be Rielly's last and the team will move on from him this offseason, as whoever is put in charge to replace Brad Treliving, will address the many issues on the blue line. But one path is pretty much closed.
Some have assumed that this might mean a buyout of the remaining four years on Rielly's contract. But, since he has a $7.5-million AAV cap hit, and how the contract is structured with bonuses, the buyout penalty would be a $3.5-million cap hit for four more years, and then $2 million for four more. Having Rielly take up a portion of your cap for eight more seasons could be detrimental -- not having him on the team would cost them the price of a pretty good bottom-six forward, essentially.
The other path is obviously a trade, and there should be interest, according to Kypreos.
"As many NHL teams have informed me, they still see a good and serviceable player in Rielly who could be rejuvenated under the right circumstances," Kypreos wrote. "But for that to happen, the Maple Leafs may need to retain as much as 50 per cent of the $7.5 million AAV he has, and throw in a draft pick sweetener."
What a Morgan Rielly trade could look like
With his contract and underperformance -- Rielly has been not very good defensively, has lost a whole lot of his skating ability, and has scored just 35 points this season -- the 32-year-old essentially has negative value. The Leafs would, as Kypreos mentions, have to retain up to half of his cap hit ($3.75 million) and even throw in a draft pick for this deal to happen.
Who could be the team that wants to make a deal like this? It would theoretically be a team that is willing to take a chance on a player that is signed until he is 36 years old and is losing his legs in a major way, but still needs a respectable force on the blue line to potentially lift some players along. And, in the right scenario, could re-find some of what made him an important player to begin with.
Let's see how this plays out.