The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to play their last game of the 2025-26 season tonight against the Ottawa Senators, which will likely kickstart even more debate about the future of the team and who is staying and who is going. One player who will be a big part of the conversation this summer is Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs’ longest-tenured player has heard his name in trade rumours for the last calendar year.
But it wasn’t until their final home game against the Dallas Stars on Monday night that he really acknowledged it. He was pretty honest with reporters about his future and even mentioned how that could have been his last home game in Toronto.
Rielly Opens up About Future with Maple Leafs
It’s pretty rare to hear a player speak that openly about their future with the team, especially in Toronto. That alone probably earns Rielly a bit of respect for how direct he was about everything.
When he spoke with reporters on Monday morning, here’s what he said.
“It’s an outstanding place to play and a great place to live,” he said. “This organization means a lot to a lot of people, so to be a part of it is an honour, and I don’t believe that’s lost on anyone in here.”
“It can be a grind when the team’s not playing well because you’re losing games, which is the most important thing around here,” Rielly said. “Those challenges always come from within.”
He was then asked about whether Monday could be his last home game with the Maple Leafs.
“It’s crossed my mind before; all athletes have that at some point. They think about that. And so, again, tonight’s no different than that.
And if it were, would he make sure to soak in the atmosphere?
“I think you try to every night. I don’t think you should take one day or game in this league for granted.”
It matters that he acknowledged it, especially with how this season played out and where things seem to be heading. A retool feels like it’s coming, and there’s a real chance he already played his final home game in Toronto. That also means tonight against the Senators could be his last game in the blue and white. From a hockey standpoint, you can make the argument it makes sense financially. Still, there’s a human side to it. It’s not easy to picture Rielly, once seen as the defenceman of the future, reaching the point where his time with the organization might actually be coming to an end.
Berube Speaks on Rielly’s Impact Within the Organization
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke about Rielly and what he means to the team and the room before Monday’s game, saying it means everything to him to be part of the Maple Leafs organization.
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Here’s Berube’s full quote on Rielly:
“He’s been here a long time, and he loves it here. “I don’t think he can think about being anywhere else, personally, after being drafted here and playing here this long and this many games. He’s been a staple here for a long time. It would be hard for him to be thinking about not being a Leaf.
“He’s one of the guys that if you’re a young guy and you wanted to know something or ask somebody something, he’d be a guy you’d go and seek out and talk to about things,” Berube said. “Really good human being. He’s been a great teammate here for a long time.”
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of emotions Rielly shows after the game. It feels like he understands where things might be heading, and that next season could look very different for him. For a lot of fans in Toronto, that’s not an easy thing to process. He’s been part of this team for a long time, and tonight, game number 951, could end up being his last in a Maple Leafs uniform.
