For all the talk this past summer about the Toronto Maple Leafs finally moving on from Morgan Rielly, we got exactly nada.
As camp is set to open, the longest-tenured Leaf remains on the team.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I like the idea of having Rielly on the roster. The problem is that we don’t really know why first-year GM John Chayka never pulled the trigger on a deal.
We know now.
In a September 15 piece in The Athletic, insiders Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston quoted Chayka, indicating precisely why Rielly remains in Toronto.
“At no point did we ever have what I would characterize as a serious trade opportunity with Morgan Rielly.”
Chayka explained his reasons during an interview with the aforementioned publication. And when you think about it, it makes sense.
The idea of trading Rielly was likely viewed by other organizations as a cap dump. As such, the offers were never going to be substantial. The Maple Leafs would have been lucky to get a couple of draft picks and perhaps a low-tier prospect for Rielly.
Meanwhile, other teams would have balked at the idea of adding his $7.5 million cap hit.
Perhaps there were other clubs looking to lowball Chayka, offering a risible return, while pushing for some cap retention.
Mind you, the Maple Leafs were in no real need to trade Rielly. That idea was just part of the narrative that had long surrounded the futility the team showed last season.
Morgan Rielly was willing to waive his no-trade clause
One of the interesting admissions in the piece was the fact that Morgan Rielly was willing to waive his no trade clause this summer.
As Siegel and Johston wrote, Rielly was amenable to a move, but it wasn’t his first choice.
“While Rielly did provide the Leafs with a handful of potential destinations he was willing to waive his no-movement clause for at season’s end, according to league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity about discussions that are not public, he never expressed a desire to leave Toronto. The 32-year-old defenseman considers the city home, having been a mainstay with the Leafs since the 2013-14 season.”
This is an overall stunning bit of information. It confirms part of what he had heard throughout the offseason. However, the bottom line is that Rielly was willing to work with the organization even if he had no real desire to leave.
It seems that the lack of substantial offers will allow Morgan Rielly to remain in Toronto, at least for one more season.
Does this mean the Maple Leafs won’t trade Rielly?
One of the most reasonable questions to ponder at this point is whether the Maple Leafs could still trade Morgan Rielly. On the whole, it seems that Toronto won’t be moving Rielly anytime soon. Unless someone out there decides to really pony up for the veteran blueliner, the chances of the Leafs actually trading him are slim to none.
Siegel and Johnston noted that Jim Hiller is eager to reunite with Rielly. Plus, Chayka and Rielly had a heart-to-heart this summer.
“I’ve had very frank, candid conversations with Morgan now over the summer. Like, what an incredible person, and he’s played an important role for this team, and we expect he’ll continue to do that. We’re in a good spot — he’s ready to go for camp and just looking forward.”
So, whatever rough edges their might have been look to have been smoothed out. That’s good because the Leafs need Rielly.
And as Siegel and Johnston pointed out, Rielly isn’t the problem. It was Craig Berube.
With Berube gone, the future should look more promising for the Maple Leafs and their top defenseman.
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