Morgan Rielly
Rielly has been one of the biggest talking points around the Leafs this season.
Coming into the season, most were excited that the front office finally got Rielly a great partner in Chris Tanev. That hasn't exactly played out the way we thought it would since Berube began playing Tanev with McCabe. That pairing has been fantastic, but it has made the role of Rielly's partner a bit of a revolving door.
Rielly is one of the most important parts of this team. He is making 7.5 million dollars against the cap and is one of the only offensive defencemen this team has. If this team is going to be successful, we need to see some improvements in his game.
With that being said, I'm not too concerned about Rielly. Usually, we see him elevate his game when the playoffs come around, and I still believe we will see that. Rielly also looked pretty solid during the Western road trip right before the Four Nations break, so I'm hoping to see that play continue.
Like Domi, I see this break coming at a great time for Rielly. This should give him time to reset mentally, rest his body and try to string together a strong stretch of games. His performances before the break were strong, so hopefully, that can give him a little bit of confidence.