The debate around Morgan Rielly's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs has been hanging over their heads all summer. With training camp inching closer, TSN's Bryan Hayes brought up a pretty important point on OverDrive. If the Maple Leafs decide to keep Rielly and he struggles again, they could eventually find themselves stuck with his contract until the bitter end.
Maple Leafs could be stuck with Rielly
Rielly has four years remaining on his deal with a $7.5 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause. At 32 years old, his production and skill level have started to drop, with the veteran defenceman finishing with just 36 points last season. His defensive game has also continued to be a concern, particularly when it comes to defending around the net.
Toronto reportedly looked into moving Rielly earlier this offseason, but nothing came together. The lack of interest shouldn't be a huge surprise given his age, contract, and recent play.
The Maple Leafs could keep Rielly and hope a new coach in Jim Hiller can get more out of him, especially when you factor in his familiarity with him. He still has the ability to move the puck, and if he can get back to being the player Toronto had a few years ago, keeping him could look like the right decision. The problem is what happens if he doesn't.
If Rielly has another down year, his trade value could take another major hit. Teams are already going to be hesitant about taking on four more years at $7.5 million, especially if his play continues to decline. Toronto could eventually reach the point where moving him would require adding significant assets just to get another team to take on the contract.
That's the decision John Chayka and the Maple Leafs have to make now. If they believe Rielly can bounce back, there is nothing wrong with keeping him around. But if there are serious concerns about where his game is headed, they need to push hard to find him a new home; waiting another year could make the problem much harder to solve.
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