Morgan Rielly (Credit: Getty Images) The blue line of the Toronto Maple Leafs was already in the spotlight during this season, and the recent injury of Morgan Rielly can do nothing but complicate the situation of the team. Rielly is known to be an offensive player on the back end, which has not been very reliable on the defensive side, a factor that has attracted both media and fans’ attention during the season.Rielly left the game early with an upper-body injury, and the Maple Leafs had to play without one of their star defensemen. Although Toronto still was able to carry on with the game, the loss of Rielly showed the dependence on him by the team in transitioning and providing a defensive presence.
Morgan Rielly’s injury update is uncertain for Toronto Maple Leafs
After the match, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said only a little about the condition of Rielly; it is an upper-body injury. He will be re-examined tomorrow, said Berube, and he did not say much about whether Rielly would be able to miss further games.This blow is timely considering that Rielly has already been criticized over his defense. He has recorded 7 goals and 24 assists in 54 games this season, translating into 31 points,, to increase the concern over his defensiveness in decision-making. As the Maple Leafs require steady output in the blue line, the injury to Rielly brings up the immediate concern of the changes in the tune-up and allocation of the ice-time.Whether Rielly will be able to recover or not, fans and analysts will closely monitored on the development of his condition without an extended absence that may affect the playoff positioning of Toronto. In the meantime, the Maple Leafs will have to continue through their remaining games with a defensive gap, as well as the uncertainty of the availability of Morgan Rielly.