Morgan Rielly Finally Breaks Silence On His Struggles This Season With The Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has given his take on how the season has played out so far, and even among the negatives he's taking things in stride.
For the longest tenured member of the team, things haven't gone well lately for Morgan Rielly. From being demoted off the first power play, to a potential trade situation that sees him headed home, suffice to say it's been rough.
But the veteran is taking things in stride, and recognizes that while he hasn't played up to his standards, he still has hope for a turnaround:
Morgan Rielly Fighting A Losing Battle For Toronto Maple Leafs
While Rielly may feel good about his performances, fans and critics are not.
Though he hasn't had a completely vacant offensive year, he does only have five goals and 17 assists and is an abysmal minus-17.
A quick look at the Maple Leafs' other defensemen shows a stark contrast of production.
Chris Tanev (+19), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (+15), Jake McCabe (+12), Conor Timmins (+2), Simon Benoit (+2), Philippe Myers (-6).
While Myers is the other outlier on defense, one has to remember who his partner has been this season.
Since Rielly has the inability to get back on defense quick enough, Myers was left out to dry and his numbers don't tell the full story.
Former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau also feels like Rielly isn't doing what he can to help the team and his potential stubbornness is a big factor in his regression over the last few seasons.
Current Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has faith in his veteran defenseman and knows that while he can be better, the onus doesn't lie completely on him:
He's trying to work through it right now. It's a team game. It's not all on Morgan."
If Rielly doesn't turn things around, then his $7.5M contract looks worse and worse by the week, and Toronto has him locked up the next five seasons.
A potential change of scenery might be in the works, and many analysts and critics have wondered if a J.T. Miller trade would be a feasible solution.
Time is running out for Morgan Rielly with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and though it's been a solid 12 years, what he offers and what they need aren't compatible anymore.
