- Jonas Siegel reports the Leafs and Morgan Rielly’s camp have discussed him going elsewhere this offseason
- The longest-tenured Leaf is coming off a down year and is signed through 2030 with a no-move clause
- Read below for what a Rielly trade would mean for Toronto
Morgan Rielly’s time in Toronto might be running out.
The Maple Leafs and Rielly’s camp have discussed the possibility of the defenseman going elsewhere this offseason, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reported. The conversations involved Rielly’s agent, J.P. Barry, Leafs general manager John Chayka, and senior hockey operations advisor Mats Sundin.
Rielly is the longest-tenured player on the roster, and he isn’t going anywhere cheap or easy. He’s locked up through 2030:
That deal is what makes this tricky. Rielly carries a $7.5 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause, so he controls where he goes, if he goes at all.
All of this comes off a rough year. Rielly scored 11 goals and 36 points but finished at minus-18, the second-worst mark of his 13-year career. Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.
The front office that would move him looks nothing like it did a year ago. Brad Treliving resigned before the season ended, Chayka took over as GM, and the coaching job opened up after Craig Berube was let go.
Most of the core is expected back. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares are all penciled in for next season. Rielly is the one name that keeps surfacing as a player who could be on the move.
Trading a defenseman with a no-move clause and four years left is no small task. The fact that the Leafs are even having the conversation says plenty about how their offseason is shaping up.
