Morgan Rielly has spent May trying to help Canada have a positive experience at the world championship. And when the blue-liner returns from his international sojourn, there’s some sense the months ahead might see him on the way to a new club team.
Change is all around the Toronto Maple Leafs, and with a new GM (John Chayka) in place and a coaching vacancy that will (presumably) be filled soon, one thing that remains constant is speculation that Rielly — the longest-tenured Leaf — has played his last game in blue and white.
You don’t have to scroll down too far on Nick Kypreos’ first off-season trade board to find Rielly’s name. The Sportsnet insider believes the new Leafs regime is still open to dealing Rielly and that the 32-year-old — despite full no-move protection — wouldn’t stand in the way of the right move.
From Kyper:
"The way it’s been told to me is that Toronto is looking into things, Rielly is aware of it, and that he will be presented with a few options if they arise. Rielly still has no-movement protection for the next two years, but the belief is that wouldn’t be a major hurdle to overcome."
Rielly has four years left on a contract that accounts for an AAV of $7.5 million. In all likelihood, a team trading for him would assume full responsibility for those dollars — it’s hard to imagine the Leafs retaining salary — with the understanding that you probably don’t have to give up the sun and the moon to get him.
Acquiring Rielly would be a bet that a guy with good mobility and a ton of playoff experience in a high-pressure market could thrive with a fresh start that allows him to relinquish years’ worth of baggage.
Don’t forget, for all the ups and downs the regular season has brought him in Toronto, Rielly has typically risen to the occasion once the playoffs begin. Since the 2022 post-season, only five defencemen with at least 25 playoff games played in that time have a better points-per-game mark than Rielly’s 0.74. That handful is Evan Bouchard (1.09), Cale Makar (1.07), Adam Fox (0.91), Victor Hedman (0.84) and Devon Toews (0.79).
That’s pretty serious company to keep, and when you consider the fact Rielly is still in his early 30s, it’s easy to see why a club might want to be the second squad Rielly skates for in his long NHL career.
Of course, we don’t know exactly what the fifth-overall pick would favour in terms of a new landing spot. Presumably, he’d like to join a team that’s either an established contender or clearly on the rise. What we do know is Rielly’s negotiated protection ensures he’s signing off on any new home.
With that in mind, let’s play matchmaker and see which teams might be a fit.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks have just two defencemen under contract for next season — Dmitry Orlov and Sam Dickinson — who played at least 70 games for the squad this past year. San Jose also had a lot of cap space, though big extensions are surely on the horizon for Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
The Sharks remained in the playoff hunt well into April and are looking to build on that by cracking the West’s top eight next season. GM Mike Grier has already prioritized bringing in experienced vets Orlov, Tyler Toffoli and Kiefer Sherwood while his young core grows.
Rielly would bring additional experience and a puck-moving ability that’s in short supply on the Sharks back end. With the exception of Dickinson, most of San Jose’s top young players are forwards, so you could see Grier pushing for a blueline boost.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago is in clear need of a step forward and, with the young talent assembled, it’s not unreasonable to think the Hawks could be sniffing a wild-card berth next year.
With Connor Murphy dealt away at the deadline, there’s a dearth of veteran know-how on the Hawks back end. If Rielly had any trepidation about joining another team that missed the post-season this past year, it could be tempered by the possibility of a massive role on that squad.
As the likes of Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel (both righties, by the way) find their NHL footing, Rielly could help shepherd them along.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets always have to go about team-building a little different due to the fact the club is not a top free-agent destination, nor is it the type of place every established NHLer is going to waive a no-trade for.
But what about a kid from Western Canada who played major junior hockey in Moose Jaw?
Despite a down season, the Jets remain all-in on winning with an over-30 core. The team’s top need is a second-line centre, but no sense waiting around to see what happens there.
If you look at Winnipeg’s defence, there’s a job just waiting for Rielly as an over-qualified third-pair guy on the left side. With a top four of Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo (Rielly’s Canadian partner at the worlds), Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk locked in, Rielly could jump on the third pair with right-shooting Elias Salomonsson and help bring along the talented 21-year-old (who won’t actually be ready for training camp thanks to off-season shoulder surgery).
What a top-to-bottom blueline that could be for the Jets.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Rielly's current contract was inked by Pens GM Kyle Dubas in 2021, when Dubas ran the Leafs.
Pittsburgh is coming off a surprise playoff appearance and has only two defencemen inked beyond this coming season. One of those players is 39-year-old Kris Letang and the Penguins’ other high-profile vet, Erik Karlsson, is entering the final year of his deal and turns 36 on Sunday.
You could see where Rielly might serve as a bridge of sorts between the current blueline corps and the one Dubas is trying to build for the future.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have already leaned into acquiring veteran D-men, trading for Jacob Trouba 16 months ago and grabbing John Carlson ahead of the most recent trade deadline in March.
As it happens, Trouba (32), Carlson (36) and captain Radko Gudas (35) — all right-shot defencemen — are all eligible to hit the open market in July.
Maybe the Ducks, looking to build on their fantastic season, hang onto a pair of those righties and swing a swap for Rielly to bring some balance and puck-moving to a team where young blueliners Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger have not yet established themselves the way the club surely hoped.
Vancouver Canucks
The clear “one of these things is not like the other” club on this list, but we had to at least float Rielly’s hometown team. Would he consider playing there for a year, even a year-and-a-half before the 2027 trade deadline to get the unique experience of performing at home while mentoring the next generation of Canucks?
It’s not a perfect comparison because the timelines are a bit off, but defenceman Mike Matheson — like Rielly, a first-round pick in the 2012 draft — joined his hometown team in Montreal at the nadir of a rebuild and things went so well he’s now playing huge minutes on a squad that made the Eastern Conference Final.
It’s hard Rielly’s personal timeline to chase a Cup lining up with Vancouver’s, but you never know.
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