- Morgan Rielly says he wants to stay in Toronto after a summer in the rumor mill
- New coach Jim Hiller is handing the 32-year-old a clean slate
- Read below for video of Rielly and Hiller at Monday’s training camp
Morgan Rielly is still a Maple Leaf, and he sounds happy about it.
Toronto’s longest-tenured player spent the offseason stuck in trade talk and never moved. He reported to camp for a 14th season and put it plainly Monday.
“It’s not a deep answer or anything. I just love this team. Whatever the downs are, the challenges, I think the opportunity and the ups outweigh them greatly. I feel very fortunate to have been a Maple Leaf, and I want to continue that for as long as I can.”
Watch the full video of his availability:
He owned the other half of it too, that staying put only works if he plays better.
“On that line, there’s an element of my performance and my game has to try to hold up that end of the bargain, on the results side. Hopefully, both those things can happen.”
Last season gave the critics plenty. Rielly managed 11 goals and 36 points in 78 games with a minus-18, his worst scoring rate and worst plus-minus since 2016-17, and the Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Jim Hiller was not around for any of that, and the new coach is not inheriting the grudge. Catch his take on the video here:
“I haven’t been here. I do understand the narrative that, you know, people got down on Morgan. I don’t see it. I’m giving him a clean slate, and I’m glad he’s excited to play. I expect just a great year.”
Hiller skated Rielly with newcomer Darren Raddysh on Monday and wants that pair pointed the right way.
“We think they can be a good pair. Try to maybe spot them a little more in the O zone if we can, and give them maybe more minutes with our top-six forwards.”
Monday was also Rielly’s first skate with the main group after a virus kept him out of Saturday’s preseason opener against Montreal. He expects to dress Wednesday for the split squad against Ottawa.
The Vancouver native sits at 98 goals and 451 assists for 549 points in 951 games as a Leaf, plus 47 points in 70 playoff games. He can become the sixth player in franchise history to reach 1,000 games this season.
Rielly starts year 14 on Sept. 29 against Montreal, working for a coach who was nowhere near last season’s mess.
