Suggested Trade Sees Ducks Land Morgan Rielly in Trade With Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a ton of changes this offseason, including adding Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, acquiring Nick Paul, and making a coaching change with Jim Hiller becoming their new bench boss. One move they haven’t made yet, that they were expected to, is trading Morgan Rielly.

Rielly, who is 32 years old, has a $7,500,000 cap hit and is extended through the 2029-30 season. Last season, Rielly scored 11 goals and added 25 assists for 36 points through 78 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 98 goals and added 451 assists for 549 points through 951 games.

There are quite a few teams in need of improving their defensive depth, but perhaps no team more than the Anaheim Ducks. After losing Olen Zellweger, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas, it became clear that the Ducks needed to add some players to their blue line, but they haven’t done that just yet.

The Ducks did bring in Nick Jensen, but they still lack the strength on their blue line to be considered a playoff threat this season. While Rielly isn’t the best defensive-minded defender in the NHL, he could be someone that gives them a much-needed veteran presence and could add some offensive depth to their back end.

In this article, we take a look at a hypothetical deal between the Ducks and Maple Leafs that sends Rielly to the Ducks. Keep in mind, while there are rumours surrounding Rielly and a potential connection to the Ducks, there have been no reports that the two teams have had any trade conversations, so this deal is purely hypothetical.

Ducks Land Rielly, Maple Leafs Clear Cap Space

A deal between the two teams likely looks like more of a cap dump then the Maple Leafs bringing back assets, but they won’t end up with nothing. The fact that the Edmonton Oilers were able to clear Darnell Nurse’s full $9.25 million salary and bring back assets proves that defensemen are a hot commodity right now, so the Maple Leafs may not have to retain.

Rielly does have a full no-movement clause (NMC) so he can control where he ends up being traded, but with all of the speculation surrounding him, it is hard to believe he wouldn’t be open to being moved elsewhere. Considering he would play a lot with the Ducks and they look like a team with a promising future, he may not reject the idea of being moved there.

Assuming Rielly waives his trade protection for the Ducks, a deal looks like the Ducks acquiring Rielly in exchange for the Ducks’ third-round pick in 2029, and their seventh-round pick in 2027. This deal would include zero retention.

For the Maple Leafs, they clear enough cap space to give themselves flexibility for more moves during the season if they are in playoff contention, and add two draft picks. For the Ducks, they fill out their defensive depth in what would likely be their final addition of the offseason.

Rielly isn’t a bad defender by any means, but he is a bit overpaid. The Ducks can afford to spend a bit and take on his salary as they try to push for a playoff spot this season. Considering how weak their current lineup looks, they need to try and bring him in.

There will likely be a few other teams that check in on Rielly, and time will tell where he ends up, but a trade to the Ducks makes a lot of sense.

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