Morgan Rielly has become the latest Toronto Maple Leafs lightning rod, with his play under intense scrutiny after being on the ice for all four goals against in a recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders.
The latest defensive hiccup from the Leafs' longest-serving player made Rielly the target of familiar fan frustration, even as a more consequential issue lingers beneath the surface.
Rielly now finds himself in a long line of prominent Maple Leafs, from John Tavares to Phil Kessel to Larry Murphy, who have felt the full force of a demanding fan base when expectations and results fail to align.
A more important defenseman to Toronto's playoff hopes has spent most of the season unavailable due to injury, while Rielly's contract is being brought to the forefront with his underwhelming play.
Tanev's Unavailability Hurts Leafs
Free agent defenseman Chris Tanev was a key addition to the Leafs during the summer of 2024. Toronto signed the 36-year-old to a six-year deal for $27 million, an AAV of $4.5 million. He was the Maple Leafs' most reliable defenseman in 2024-25, helping them win the Atlantic Division. He played a big role in taking the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to Game 7 before being eliminated in Round 2.
The combination of his age and putting himself in harm's way with his shot-blocking prowess was the biggest risk to Tanev's contract. The fear of the aging defenseman getting injured has come to fruition this season, the second of his six-year deal.
Coming off a suspected concussion, Tanev was the victim of a fluke, blind-side hit by the Philadelphia Flyers' Matvei Michkov that resulted in an upper-body injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks. Then, after returning for only three games, the Leafs' defenseman was felled by a groin injury that will sideline him indefinitely.
Tanev has only played in 11 games so far in 2025-2026. Due to his injuries, he has been unable to find the form he had a year ago, averaging about two minutes less time on ice than his career average.
Brandon Carlo is another of the Maple Leafs' defensemen who was out for an extended period and just returned to the lineup. He has played in only 19 games, registering two assists. His cap hit is $3.485 million.
Jake McCabe just joined the list of Leafs' defenseman to miss a game due to injury. He, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Troy Stecher have been the steadiest blueliners for Toronto this season.
It's no fault of their own, as unfortunate injuries have affected their ability to contribute, but Tanev and Carlo are not delivering to expectations. "Availability" is the most important trait of any athlete. In that regard, Tanev and Carlo have failed the Leafs through the first half of the year.
Rielly, as the Maple Leafs' highest-paid defenseman on a long-term deal, is the most likely to be criticized when underperforming. John Tavares dealt with the same thing for the latter years of his free-agent deal before last summer's extension at a more team-friendly number.
Rielly's performance against the Islanders was awful, particularly on Matthew Schaefer's game-winning goal in overtime. However, in a critical division game against the Panthers, he rebounded, playing almost twenty minutes, and was a plus-two.
The 31-year-old (almost 32)Rielly is still relied upon to play big minutes for the Maple Leafs, a show of confidence from coach Craig Berube. He averages the second-most time among the Leafs' defenseman, just seconds behind McCabe. He also shows up to work, having missed only one game.
He was paid a handsome contract to deliver offense from the back end. Rielly again leads the team's blue line in scoring with 26 points on 5 goals and 21 assists. He shouldn't be begrudged for accepting the term and dollar given to him.
Rielly has his deficiencies, and he is overpaid. Yet, he shows up, works hard, plays big minutes, and still delivers offensively. His bounce-back effort versus the Panthers in an important game shows he is not the anchor he is frequently portrayed to be.
He is the not the lone Maple Leafs' defenseman letting the team down, as his fellow blueliners continue to drop out of the lineup. His presence should be more appreciated on a that has fought the injury bug all season long, especially on the back end.