Rielly is awesome, and always has been awesome. Some people want him to be something he isn't or can't be. He isn't blessed with the size of a Hedman who can do it all, but he still does the best he can. Is he your prototypical #1 the way we think of such? Maybe not, but he's our #1.
He is offensively gifted, an eloquent skater, and can make a good first pass when needed. He has his warts defensively, and we've seen that the last few games, but for his inability to be a big bruiser, he makes up with solid positioning more often than not. He gets crapped on for some of his plays, but look around at some of the other D in the league just like him (ie. Letang), and they're just the same.
He continues to evolve, and as to one of the poster's point above, the team has no one decent behind him at this point that the spread between him and the rest is widening (since Muzzin is done and Brodie has regressed). Have long awaited the team to find him a stay-at-home bruiser to pair with him so he could be a bit "freer" out there while knowing the back end is covered.
All on top of that, he's the one player who elevates his play come playoff time, and he re-signed for the long-term at a very reasonable deal that will see us take him close to retirement.
Have hoped to see a star player be developed by the Leafs from the time of drafting right through to retirement for a long, long time. Rielly just might be that guy.
He's been my favourite Leaf pretty much from the onset, he was my choice as captain, and I look forward to see him continue being the pillar of this team for many more years to come.
