Gilmour1996
Registered User
- Oct 16, 2022
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When you've got the puck and no pressure from opponents, you don't deliberately ice the puck and give the opponent a chance to win the face-off in your own zone.
Player Discussion Morgan Rielly
- Thread starter Stephen
- Start date
He is a 2-3 paid like a 2-3. A true # 1 is 10 sheets
Not time for him to go. Time to restructure the lineup. Move the useless piece that is # 16,
RunItBackAgain
“We were right there”
- Oct 14, 2021
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Our second highest paid D on our playoff roster made 2M. Our third highest paid D made 1.4M. Our 4th, 5th, and 6th made less than 900k.
Does anyone see the problem here?
Does anyone see the problem here?
Racer88
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2020
- 12,330
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Ya, no money left over after they pay the expensive 5 yet some want to run it back again with yet another year of tinkering around the edges
RunItBackAgain
“We were right there”
- Oct 14, 2021
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I don’t think at this point anyone wants to run it back. I can’t believe people made it this far but it can’t be more than 2% at this point in time. The dream is dead. Even Reddit has accepted it and they are full delulu
Peasy
Registered User
I take back all my thoughts about Rielly shoulda been captain instead. Embarrassing to not address the media while wearing an A after game 7.
While I do want to upgrade our goalie and D, that doesn't solve the problem that they can't score more than 2 goals a game.
genk
Registered User
- Nov 15, 2015
- 633
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Rielly lost the puck race to Nic Paul to cause the first Lightning goal in 2022. Rielly lost the puck race to Pastrnak to cause the Leafs’ elimination in 2024.
Rielly has to go. How many more game 7s will he cost before people realize he’s just not good.
Rielly has to go. How many more game 7s will he cost before people realize he’s just not good.
1specter
Registered User
- Sep 27, 2016
- 12,517
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I'm not gonna turn on him just yet. He had a decent series until game 7, though he didn't do enough offensively. He also looked clearly injured to me, the way he was moving was laboured and he was lacking his usual mobility. Definitely didn't look right. Boosh also played well beside him again.
He was our best player last playoffs and often has to carry the group because we don't have other reliable puck movers.
He was our best player last playoffs and often has to carry the group because we don't have other reliable puck movers.
Rob Brown
Way She Goes
- Dec 17, 2009
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Peasy
Registered User
Heard people been sayin Rielly and Marner refused to speak to the media after game 7
Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
- 81,851
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RunItBackAgain
“We were right there”
- Oct 14, 2021
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The defencemen are 2 of the 5 players on the ice at any time. And they average more ice time. If we have good Dmen, I guarantee you the scoring will go up.
While that actually is a very amusing stat... to be fair, a lot of those defencemen cost more than $2m.
McCabe is a $4m defenceman retained down to $2m. He was probably a little overpaid at $4m.
Lyubushkin was a $2.75m defenceman retained down to $685k.
Edmundson was a $3.5m defenceman retained down to $875k.
TJ Brodie, the $5m defenceman, played 1 game IIRC. Obviously that money could have been better spent.
That being said, you look at the 8 remaining teams, and a breakdown of the top 3 paid defencemen on each team....
New York: Fox ($9.5m), Trouba ($8m), and Miller ($3.8m)
Carolina: Orlov ($7.75m), Slavin ($5.3m), Burns ($5.3m)... also have Skjei at $5.25 and Pesce at $4m.
Florida: Ekblad ($7.5m), Montour ($3.5m) nad Forsling ($2.7m).... although both Montour and Forsling are in contract years, where Montour's up for a huge raise and Forsling already singed at $5.75m
Boston: McAvoy ($9.5m), Lindholm ($6.5m), Carlo ($4.1m)
Colorado: Makar $9m, Girard $5m, Manson $4.5m... honourable mention to Toews who's at $4.1m, with a $7.25m extension.
Dallas: Heiskanen $8.5m, Lindell $5.8m, Suter $3.65m
Vancouver: Hughes $7.85m, Myers $6m, Hronek $4.4m
Edmonton: Nurse $9.25m, Ekholm $6m, Bouchard $3.9m
TLDR??? Our 2nd highest paid defenceman (in the lineup) was Jake McCabe at $4m... only Florida spent less than that on Montour $3.5m and Forsling $2.7m... but they got an absolutely great deal on that considering Forsling has already signed a $5.75m extesnsion and Montour, in line for well beyond that.
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Stephen
Moderator
- Feb 28, 2002
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Nice bit of context there on D salaries both internal to the Leafs and externally.
I am frustrated that the talking point around Rielly has always been we need a defensive babysitter to play with him but never the expectation that he needs to tighten up his own game and be a more serious defender. Maybe it’s just time to change the whole equation with him. Get rid of his lame casual defense.
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
He has the 22nd highest salary among defensemen in the nhl. That means he's being paid like an average number one defenseman.
rumman
Registered User
- Sep 10, 2008
- 16,460
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Rielly is the next Brodie, who wants another high priced black hole on the D for years to come?
Eternal Leaf
Registered User
It sucks Rielly struggled but I don't blame him too much. At least not as much as a Marner or Tavares.
Rielly has usually been the one that shows up in the playoffs and sometimes you can have an off series. It does happen. It's not a pattern that has set in like the others and I do believe he will do better if they fix the defense around him. The guy has always been given an average group to work with when he's not a stud #1.
Management needs to open its eyes and recognize what he can do and what he can't.
Maybe people are right and he's lost a step but the contract is reasonable for what he brings and I would want to see what he does as the group is reworked with a new coaching staff.
However, the one thing he shouldn't be doing any longer is the power play quarterbacking. It's brutal and always has been brutal. Please find someone else who can manage those duties with a respectable shot.
Rielly has usually been the one that shows up in the playoffs and sometimes you can have an off series. It does happen. It's not a pattern that has set in like the others and I do believe he will do better if they fix the defense around him. The guy has always been given an average group to work with when he's not a stud #1.
Management needs to open its eyes and recognize what he can do and what he can't.
Maybe people are right and he's lost a step but the contract is reasonable for what he brings and I would want to see what he does as the group is reworked with a new coaching staff.
However, the one thing he shouldn't be doing any longer is the power play quarterbacking. It's brutal and always has been brutal. Please find someone else who can manage those duties with a respectable shot.
keonsbitterness
Registered User
Personally, I think it has a little bit to do with how the Leafs gameplanned the series; especially late, with ultra-low scoring and low chance affairs.
Rielly is at his best when given the freedom to roam and create chances...like he was against Tampa last year. Against Boston, the Leafs seemed very content to sit back and try to win the game 1-0 or 2-1... which probably meant that Rielly was told he doesn't have freedom to roam.
Slightly below average, technically.
However it is important to consider that there aren't 32 defencemen in this league that should be #1s on a a really good team. There's probably ~15 of them.
