Three Morgan Rielly trade fits where he could thrive behind a no. 1 defenceman
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
With the Maple Leafs looking to rid themselves of Morgan Rielly, there are three teams that would be a perfect fit to give him a chance to get back to his old form.
Morgan Rielly is done in Toronto. His production has dropped, the defensive side hasn't improved and the Maple Leafs are heading in a new direction.
The goal here is to protect Rielly defensively, and allow him to play better matchups and not have to be the only one who can run things from the back end.
Nashville, Colorado and Dallas are three teams that could give him exactly what he needs — and give Toronto exactly what they need back.
Bluegrass Blueline: Why Roman Josi and Nashville can help Morgan Rielly
The first team on the docket is a club that is known for taking on a lot of veterans, that being the Nashville Predators. With a defensive corps that includes Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, Nic Perbix, and Nicolas Hague — he doesn't have to do much.
Josi is going to run things on the first pairing, but you've also got Skjei who can cycle with Rielly to play playmaker on the second pair. The protection Rielly gets from players like Perbix is also a blessing because Rielly's just solid. Don't ask him to do too much and he'll surprise you.
They could also absorb Rielly's contract given their cap situation, and Toronto could potentially ask for someone like a Jonathan Marchessault in return; a cheap, consistent veteran who has a winning pedigree.
While Nashville may be Roman's empire, there's still room for Rielly in Music City.
Morgan Meets Momentum with Makar and the Avalanche
Now if Rielly were to go anywhere that would give him the best chance to not only get a break, but also win a Stanley Cup, that place would no doubt be Colorado.
Having the benefit of playing with Cale Makar, Rielly would never have to be relied on as the top option unless in case of emergency. He would be able to slide into the second pair with Sam Malinski and not worry about a lot of defensive responsibility.
Plus, for as good as the Avalanche are, they have a decent amount of cap space and if Toronto really wants Rielly off the books, some salary retention will make it worth their while.
Toronto would like to take back a couple of defensive pieces in return and could look to a few names such as Jack Ahcan, Sean Behrens, and Wyatt Aamodt. They're younger and would provide a lot more well-rounded game — especially Behrens.
Deep in the heart of Texas: Why a move to Dallas could be a great reset for Rielly
Now, it would be a little weird to see Rielly in green and black as opposed to the blue and white however much like Colorado, he gets a boatload of protection while also being able to fight for a Cup.
Dallas already has a great defensive group with the likes of Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Thomas Harley, and Ilya Lyubushkin. That alone could push Rielly down to the third pairing where he likely would thrive best.
For all intents and purposes, Rielly isn't as good as he once was, and the heavy protection is what he needs. Not cut out to run a PP1 or first-unit defensive unit, he would thrive with less minutes and less responsibility.
The issue is that Dallas won't have a lot of money to work with, and heavy salary retention is going to be needed. However, with Rielly not seen in Toronto's plans, they may feel that any money is worth getting him out.
So while it's not guaranteed that Rielly is even moved this summer, if the Maple Leafs wanted to get him out in a hurry, there's at least a trio of options for the new GM to consider.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 6|802 ANSWERS Three Morgan Rielly trade fits where he could thrive behind a no. 1 defenceman Where should the Maple Leafs trade Morgan Rielly? | ||
| Dallas | 78 | 9.7 % |
| Colorado | 128 | 16 % |
| Nashville | 190 | 23.7 % |
| Other | 406 | 50.6 % |
| List of polls | ||