Craig Berube Urged to Use His First Bullet on Core Player Following Maple Leafs' Losing Streak
Craig Berube is being urged to make a drastic decision to shake up the Toronto Maple Leafs involving Morgan Rielly.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is being suggested to make a shocking move that could ignite a spark for the team after four straight losses, even if controversial.
NHL Analyst and former player Jason Demers suggested a bold move that could work in benching one of the Leafs top players, putting pressure on the rest of the team to step up.
Analyst and Former NHLer Suggest Benching Leafs Morgan Rielly
Former NHLer and NHL Network analyst Jason Demers suggested a possible solution to Toronto's struggles with the Leafs benching defenseman Morgan Rielly.
On 'Leafs Morning Take' with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill, Alberga argued that Morgan Rielly could use "a night off" to get some rest and figure things out.
On Rielly, Demers said that there was an argument for benching him, saying the defenseman needs a reset.
I think what it shows is they need another top-four defenseman....I don't know where you get it right now, maybe a Rasmus Ristolainen if you can make the money work, but I don't know if you can make the money work, but you need somebody that's going to help Morgan Rielly defensively because that's been his biggest struggle.
It depends on his character and whether can he handle that, and that's a conversation you have to have between him [Rielly] and Craig Berube, and if Berube sits him down and says "Hey, you have not been playing good enough, here's why I think you need to rest in a mental reset, and then come back because we need you for the playoffs and maybe frame it that way - Jason Demers
While moving temporarily to the sidelines is a move that could revitalize a struggling Rielly before the playoffs, it's putting the blame on Rielly, and giving him the designation of not being good enough.
Putting a player on the sidelines is usually reserved for a skater near his end with the team, or a rookie needing some eyes from the press box.
Morgan Rielly is no doubt struggling, but what has been Rielly struggling has been what, for many defencemen, is a solid year. Of course, more is needed from Rielly, for better or worse, he's still one of Toronto's top players.
Rielly, even in his prime, has been a #1 defenseman that Toronto hasn't been able to find better, because better rarely becomes available.
Even now a more talented option does not seem to be a "right now" acquisition via trade.
Toronto risks making Morgan Rielly a scapegoat for what has been consistent problems at defense, but do need him to do more than he is.
The Leafs are stuck needing more defensively but lacking high-end options right away and with little impact on the trade front; with Toronto already stretched cap-wise, they're stuck figuring out if there's a winning defence core with what they have.
The question now is if the Toronto Maple Leafs are willing to take the risk of forcing out their #1 defenseman for the last decade and still one of Toronto's key assets.
