I think there's maybe 30-50 or so defensemen I'd take Over Rielly.
Rielly isn't bad I actually think he's a useful player but he's closer to the OEL, Tanev tier more then he is the Josi, Fox tier or even the Hanafin, Ekholm, Slavin tier, IMO.
I like this list of the top 30 d-men.
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Well first off, being around the 31st-51st best defrnsemen in the league puts you solidly in the average #2D to high end #2. Not an "ok #3".
There's a lot of names I disagree with being better than Rielly, but current Karlsson above Heiskenen and Burns in the top 20 seems outright ridiculous.
In my mind he's firmly in the 16-25 category. A number of defensemen are put too high based on their past achievements in this list (especially Burns) and have not shown to be quality #1Dmen the past few years. A few specific comparisons within the 15-25 range I'd like to point out below:
Hamilton has one season above 50pts, is bad defensively, and has never produced well in the playoffs. Rielly has been better offensively over his career and substantially better in the playoffs.
Hanifin is praised for his transition game despite mediocre defense and offense. Rielly is better in transitioning, better offensively, and not as big of a downgrade defensively as some would make you believe.
Ekblad has been the Panthers #3D the last few years and quite a few of their fans would be happy to see him gone. He has not been good for several years.