Morgan Rielly deserves a lot more appreciation than he’s getting right now.

Yes, it’s been a down year. But it hasn’t just been him, it’s been the entire team. What gets lost is how consistent he’s been when it actually matters most. Over the last several postseasons, Rielly has quietly been one of the Leafs’ most reliable performers. From 2020–2024, he’s been among the team leaders in playoff scoring for defencemen and, in multiple runs, finished top 3 in team scoring overall. That’s not easy to do from the blue line, especially in the playoffs.

He’s also been asked to reinvent his game almost every year. One season it’s “we need more defence, take fewer risks.” The next it’s “we need more offence, jump into the rush.” That kind of constant shift isn’t simple, especially when you’re playing top minutes against the best players in the world.

And let’s be honest about the biggest factor: stability. Rielly hasn’t had a consistent top pairing partner in years. It’s been a revolving door: from Brandon Carlo to Luke Schenn to T.J. Brodie and others with constant changes in role and responsibility. That matters more than people think. Elite defencemen across the league thrive on chemistry and predictability. He hasn’t had that luxury. Using who I think as the best d in the league, Makar, he has had Toews as his partner for 5 seasons and Toews is a fantastic consistent d partner.

Now look at value. Rielly is a 40-45 point defenceman in a normal season, and players producing at that level are typically commanding $8M–$10M+ on the open market today. He’s sitting at a cap hit that’s below that range, while still logging heavy minutes, quarterbacking transitions, and contributing in the playoffs.

And through all of it, he’s chosen to be here. In a market where the media pressure is relentless and the fan base can turn quickly, Rielly has consistently shown up, taken accountability, and never once asked out.

That counts for something.

He’s not perfect, but very few defencemen in this league can do what he does, at his price point, under this level of scrutiny.

Sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and appreciating the guys who actually want to wear the jersey and show up when it matters most.

34 comments

  1. Praising a Leafs layer? We don’t do that here, not until we’ve traded them for far less than their value!

  3. Agreed! Morgan Rielly is a true beauty. Should get way more respect for suiting up in the blue & white as long as he has.

  4. I can’t decide if I think this is Tessa Virtue or Jake Gardiner posting this.

  5. Reilly was a good defenceman, the leafs just expected way too much out of him and never looked for someone better and couldn’t sign someone better cause of the core four contracts.

  6. He’s going to hit 1000 games as a Leaf next season. When is the last time we had a journeyman player like that? He’s somehow hung on despite questionable numbers.

  7. Honestly he’s a great leaf, elevates in the playoffs, and has never even thought about signing somewhere else. The problem is he’s not a true #1, he would be a great LD for a true #1 RD too bad the organization let him down.

  8. Very grateful to grow up watching this guy. Need a jersey before he’s gone.

  9. I dunno man, he’s done some great stuff and been a team first guy.. but god damn he’s not a good defenseman

  10. I hate the constant saying that Rielly hasn’t had the right partner. It’s been 13 years and we are still trying to find him a partner for him to excell? He’s the veteran, he should be making everyone else around him better. If 13 seasons of hockey has yet to find Morgan Rielly the partner he needs, then maybe he’s not the guy you think he’s supposed to be. He’s terrible defensively. Not really the dangerous PP defenseman. Not the guy I would put out there with 3 minutes left trying to hold onto a one goal lead.

    My thinking is, what is the difference in games won, if we picked up free agent defenseman who had the same combined salary? Is Morgan Rielly the go to guy on defense for this team?

  11. I like Rielly. I understand the hate too but I have never shit on him. I mean some of his wobbles on the ice and muffin shots make me laugh but the dude is a stand up guy. A lot of Leaf nation thought he should have been captain as well. He has never been gifted defensively but he’s only been this bad under Berube. No confidence playing his system. New coach and I bet Rielly is rejuvenated. Who else are you going to get that eats minutes like this anyways?

  12. I think he’s a great middle-pairing defenseman on a cup contender, but he’s been deployed as the Leafs #1D for a long time. The expectations have been way too high. This year he’s a new dad and that always takes a toll on you.

  13. Oh yeah, that specific play really helped. Changed our culture, woo.

    Good soldier, not a very good player most of the time. He was an offensive defender that was always terrible defensively, and it got worse the more TOI he got. I wish him well in San Jose or insert team.

  15. Fucking love Mo. Was always an offensive defenceman growing up so seeing someone play the same style of hockey as me on the Leafs was awesome. Was an animal vs. Tampa and played with a passion the other core guys simply didn’t. I really don’t think we need to trade him with the cap going up but I’ll always love this man.

  16. Yo this is reddit, this isnt the place for a reasonable nuanced knowledgable take backed by relevant examples

  17. I really hope that he stays and bounces back (like most should once Berube is gone). He’s played the 7th most games in Leaf history, he’s 6th in assists, and 2nd in points from a defenseman. He’s done that while being a leader on the back end and from all accounts a nice guy off the ice. Having the 29th highest cap hit in the league for a dman means that we really shouldn’t be expecting extremely elite level production, he just needs to improve on his game. I’ll take a guy who wants to be here and is still likely capable of better hockey under a coach who doesn’t sewer everybody’s numbers any day of the week.

  18. Nothing would give me greater joy than seeing Rielly raise the cup in Toronto

    I don’t want to see him gone, maybe just lower the minutes a bit to see if his performance goes up next season

  23. I like him too, but as a 2nd or 3rd pair guy. I know he’s making #1 D money but he’s not that player anymore, we need a true #1 Damn and the time for Mo to develop into that has long passed. Still a good player and I respect the shit outta him

  25. He was one of my favourites for many years. Then he had a kid…or at least the timing coincided with his decline. He probably focused a lot less on hockey and got a lot less sleep and he’s been a liability ever since. Not just relative to the contract he got, which is a big drag for the franchise, but simply a poor defender. Cannot defend top lines. If you invest significant money in a defenseman, they need to be solid against top line players OR superhuman offensively, which he is nowhere near.

  29. I would think he is probably the nicest guy on the team and most respected but he has to go. His contract is about 4 -5 million a yr more than it should be. If he signed what Jt took a yr at 4.5 then it’s acceptable.

  30. I usually jump on the Reilly hate train, but you bring up some compelling points – especially how he’s being asked to change his playing style so frequently.

    You know what, I will cut the guy some slack.

  31. This sub: The Leafs are a terrible organization, they can’t win, I am never giving them another dollar!

    This sub: Rielly is a top 2 defensemen!

  32. Captain Mo has been with Toronto for 13 years. Anyone who can put up with this city and team for that long is worthy of respect and stick taps in my book.

  33. Dude should have been made captain when JT came over and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on. Not saying he’d still be wearing the C but he should have been the guy at that time.

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