Morgan Rielly Bringing Accountability to His Future With Maple Leafs

Mentally, it was a tumultuous summer for the longest serving Toronto Maple Leafs player – Morgan Rielly – who was the centre of trade speculation in the midst of a roster overhaul for the team under John Chayka. Now, the 32-year-old defenceman is set to get his 14th season underway with the team. This time it comes with a new outlook on his time spent in Toronto and where he wants his career to take him.

While the speculation may have left him with a small chip on his shoulder, Rielly understands that the business side of the game played a role in the offseason conversations, but doubled down on his interest in playing for the Maple Leafs and doing it as long as he can.

Rielly Takes Accountability For His Side of the Bargain

The relief on Rielly after it was publicly announced that the Maple Leafs weren’t going to trade him this offseason was maybe the most obvious thing to come from the team’s summer. After all, Rielly has spent his entire 13-year career with the Maple Leafs as a mainstay on their back end.

He’s been through the ups and the downs with the franchise, coming in during a time when it was at its worst. Still, his loyalty to the team and the fans never wavered. Now, with contracts moving the direction they are, his already team friendly deal seems even more… well, team friendly.

Still, Rielly understands that he, too, plays a part in making that deal worth it for the franchise and from a fan perspective.

“I feel fortunate to have been a Maple Leaf. I want to continue that as long as I can,” said Rielly during a preseason scrum. “My performance and my game have to hold up that end of the bargain.”

But it’s clear, and he reiterated it, that he wants to remain with the Maple Leafs moving forward. It’s a loyalty that doesn’t always exist in the game today.

Rielly’s Numbers Need to Plateau and Not Fall More

One area that has been a focus of criticism for Rielly over the past couple of seasons is his overall production and lack of awareness in the defensive zone. Defensively, he will need to be partnered with a player like Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Chris Tanev, who both understand the need to pinch only when the read is right. That would give Rielly an opportunity to play more of the rush game that he played earlier in his career.

From a production standpoint, Rielly has see a drop off since his 72-points season back in 2018-19. That season, he was a 20-goal scorer and finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting. Since then, he’s had less than 40 points only twice, but hasn’t recorded over 68 points – reaching that mark only once since 2018-19.

Last season, while reaching a double-digit goal total for the first time since 2021-22, Rielly finished with just 36 points in 78 regular season games. It was his lowest production since 2020-21 and brought a ton of criticism – including the offseason trade talk.

But the Maple Leafs don’t need him to be the 72-point defenceman. In fact, if Rielly could hover around 50 to 60-point mark, it would be a successful season for the veteran blueliner. Part of that approach for Rielly this offseason is the recognition of what he’s capable of without trying to force the offensive production. If he can do that, he should see a bounce back offensively this season and put a halt on the declining production over the past three seasons.

Rielly’s Role Has Changed, But Hiller Sees Successful Season Ahead

What fans and the organization should see in 2026-27 is that Rielly’s role with the team has changed. No longer the powerplay quarterback with Darren Raddysh coming in, Rielly can focus more on being a secondary offensive option for the team.

Regardless of what his role is, head coach Jim Hiller noted that the narrative around Rielly hasn’t changed in his mind.

“I do understand the narrative that people got down on Morgan,” said Hiller. “I don’t see it. I’m giving him a clean slate, and I’m glad he’s excited to play. I expect a great year.”

Hiller added that he’s going to give the pairing of Raddysh and Rielly a lot of offensive-zone starts with top-six forwards and that his expectation will be that the forwards give the same kind of support defensively to their defensemen.

As for Rielly mindset heading into the season, Hiller noted what he expects from the long-time Leafs defenceman.

“It’s your passion for the game. You know, you play a lot of games in one place, and it can become a bit of a routine, a bit of Groundhog Day,” said Hiller who’s been talking to Rielly for some time since being hired. “So, you just have to reignite the passion. It sounds to me like he’s done that. I can just see him lighter, smiling, happier, ready to go. And I’m really happy to see that.”

For Rielly, it’s a new beginning in the same place he’s been. While the narrative amongst Leafs Nation might be a tough one to change, Hiller and the Maple Leafs have all the faith in their longest serving defenceman for the season ahead.