Former Top- 5 Pick Emerges As Ideal Partner for Morgan Rielly
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to get some much needed help for Morgan Rielly and though he may be expensive, one former top pick could be the answer.
It's been a tough go the last little bit for Brad Treliving at least in terms of the trade front. Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Miller were sent to strengthen the Metropolitan Division, and he's lost out on several key trading partners including his former team.
Under pressure to make a move, there's a big possibility that the team may look to move some key pieces, but one thing they desperately need is help for struggling defenseman Morgan Rielly who is in the midst of an extremely disappointed season.
So perhaps they could give him the partner he needs, the only issue is it's going to cost them a lot.
Seth Jones Is An Expensive But Critical Piece For The Maple Leafs
Adding Jones would give Toronto a true Top 4, and he can cover for Rielly's defensive shortcomings.
He's fantastic at both ends of the ice, blocks a ton of shots, fits the physical build (6'4, 215 pounds), and has averaged nine goals and 42 points for his career.
Drafted 4th overall by Nashville in 2013, Jones has been one of the NHL's better defensemen for the better part of a decade. Traded in a blockbuster deal for Ryan Johansen, Jones really found his stride with the Blue Jackets.
He had 223 points in 381 games but added 675 blocks and 476 hits while making the All-Star Game three times and finished in the Top 10 in Norris voting three times as well.
This season Jones has five goals,19 assists, 68 blocks and 49 hits in 35 games for the Blackhawks; he's in the third year of his eight-year, $76M contract.
He instantly gives Rielly stability at the blueline, and knowing how much his game depends on him being at the forefront of the play, it's less of a burden for him to rush back.
The deal could look something very similar to this:
To Toronto Maple Leafs:
(D) Seth Jones (CHI retains 50% salary - $4.75M)
To Chicago Blackhawks
(F) Easton Cowan
(F) Nicholas Robertson
(C) David Kampf
2026 1st Round Pick
Let's not get it twisted; this is a complicated deal. Not only is there a lot of moving parts, but Toronto is going to have to live with the fact they are losing a top prospect, a first round pick, and more in order to help their longest-tenured player.
It feels like an overpayment, but Jones is elite. Giving up Cowan hurts yes, but he's still unproven at the NHL level and though he has a higher ceiling than Fraser Minten; he's still a wild card.
Speaking of wild cards, Robertson would either give Connor Bedard a scorer he can work with, or be how he was the first 25 games with Toronto and basically invisible. The prospect of what he CAN be is tantalizing, but his inconsistencies hurt that value just a tad, but he's only 24 with time to grow.
This season, Robertson has eight goals and four assists in 44 games with the Maple Leafs; he signed a one-year, $875,000 deal this summer after holding out for a trade.
Kampf heads back to Chicago where he started his career and played three seasons with the team before coming to Toronto. His inclusion is more for a salary dump as opposed to anything else.
Toronto will also move Ryan Reaves to waivers and get rid of his money, they need to move Connor Dewar to the LTIR, terminate Conor Timmins' deal, and move Calle Jarnkrok off LTIR to compensate for the lack of forward depth (unless the team decides to use Nikita Grebenkin et. al to fill in).
It's a ton of work, and it also hinges on Chicago kindly eating $4.75M in retention at a point where they might be wanting to throw a pile of money at a premium free agent.
But if Toronto wants to give themselves the best possible chance to win this season, they need to go all-in and acquire Seth Jones. It's gonna sting a bit with the cost, but the best medicine is going to be a Stanley Cup victory.
