Player Discussion Morgan Rielly

[theTTC]

Why highly paid professional male athletes get married and start raising kids and a family before they retire in their 30's is f***ed up. You see the immediate performance decline in nearly every instance. Geez... how stupid can they be? Yeah, women have a biological clock for this stuff, but not men.

 

[Ports]

If he continues on this trajectory he’s in buyout territory by this summer with a big bullseye on his back for his contribution to the Leafs demise. His decline has been as sudden and dramatic as Brodie’s last year.

It’s a real option for them especially the way his contract is structured. Not sure they have the stomach for it though. Timid management.

 

[Ports]

I’ve had it with Rielly this season. He doesn’t deserve to be paired with either McCabe or Tanev. Stick him with Myers, Timmins, or whoever and let him sink or swim. Better to have at least one elite pair back there than trying to help a clearly struggling player.

Better yet. Sit him out and play McCabe, OEL and Benoit on LD and trade for a top four RD. At this rate, he’ll be too much of a liability in the playoffs when the games get quicker and more physical. Cut bait now and buy him out this summer. Would Vegas, Tampa, Florida or Boston put up with his lack of effort and compete ? No way.

The first minus is definitely on Rielly last night.

However, the +/- debate does apply to the player near the blueline at all and only slightly to the other players. Puck is there for Rielly but he's easily pushed off the puck, and then others mis assignments. 29 watching the puck, but trying to cover up for Rielly's fart.

We've discussed the visuals, i.e. his skating, but we've also discussed whether he's carrying too much weight. 6'1", 225 lb. compared to 6'3", 227 lb. Knies? Size does help defenders, but not if it's negatively impacting your best attribute.


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Except he doesn’t use his size. He’s not physical at all especially in front of his own net where he lets opponents jam away at the puck and goalie in the crease while he sweeps the ice like he’s in the Briar.

 

[IPS]

Better yet. Sit him out and play McCabe, OEL and Benoit on LD and trade for a top four RD. At this rate, he’ll be too much of a liability in the playoffs when the games get quicker and more physical. Cut bait now and buy him out this summer. Would Vegas, Tampa, Florida or Boston put up with his lack of effort and compete ? No way.


Except he doesn’t use his size. He’s not physical at all especially in front of his own net where he lets opponents jam away at the puck and goalie in the crease while he sweeps the ice like he’s in the Briar.

He has to be the weakest 225lbs guy is the league. McCabe and Tanev are 15-25 pounds lighter than him yet have twice the horsepower physicality wise. If you saw Rielly in person you'd swear he'd be a mack truck on the ice but not even close in reality.

 

[WildWolfdog]

Why highly paid professional male athletes get married and start raising kids and a family before they retire in their 30's is f***ed up. You see the immediate performance decline in nearly every instance. Geez... how stupid can they be? Yeah, women have a biological clock for this stuff, but not men.

Lol what a moronic comment.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Definitely think he needs to lose some weight next summer. 225lbs should have him knocking guys down left and right and clearing the crease no problem, and yet he does neither of those things. He's thick for nothing.

 

[Racer88]

Reilly at minus 18……..wow but no worries it’s not his fault, it just circumstances.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Lol what a moronic comment.

Considering Bjorkstrand and Montour are basically in line with career normals and have babies less than a year old, that excuse of a kid being the sole reason he is bad this year seems like a cop out.

 

[NJG]

Flat out liability, in every aspect of the game. Really disappointed reading Berube's comments about his game, this guy needs a demotion/potentially healthy scratch, not coddling from the coach.

He needs to be traded at this point, even if it's for a third/fourth round pick if no one will give us anything else. His cap off the books is way more valuable at this point.

Considering Bjorkstrand and Montour are basically in line with career normals and have babies less than a year old, that excuse of a kid being the sole reason he is bad this year seems like a cop out.

It's always been a bad excuse.... He was bad before the kid.

 

[LeafEgo]

Rielly has been bad and if the staff thinks he's now shit then they have to fix it - 'buying him out' being the worst option.

But at this juncture, and without additional info, ideally both he and the staff work to activate him, otherwise we're going into the playoffs with a significant unforseen deficit that likely can't be made whole - without losing assets that are needed for other improvements.

 

[hamzarocks]

He has to be done as a leaf

31 reg games + 7 playoff games and then he has to be moved

Morgan Rielly is our OEL Canucks version

He needd to be bought out and then at 2-3M on another team he can find a role as a good offensive bottom pairing.

Hes declined and isnt a top 3D on a team anymore. Too slow, soft and dumb to rely on.

Thanks Morgan for the time, my favorite player overall and a gyt who did takr a discount on external comparables when he signed

But injuries, lack of fitness comittment and Berubes coaching system just make him look like Tyson Barrie for us. We have to move on now

 

[REALTALK81]

I've liked Rielly for what he is but this year he doesn't look the same. What do you do with and offensive defenseman who doesn't provide offense nor defense? Especially at that price.

 

[seanlinden]

He's minus 2 5v5... Think about that.

The rest is with the goalie pulled, and on the PP... I mean the PP is problematic, but that's certainly not all on him.

This +- is overblown.

Didn't realize just how "blown up" his +/- was by virtue of the PP / 6 on 5.

I think the biggest challenge for Rielly, is that he is the team's best offensive defenceman, so he ends up on the PP by default, when he's not the team's best puck distributor. That title of course belongs to Mitch Marner, and there's no real shame in being "2nd best" to Marner.

Ultimately, for the Leafs PP to be successful, I think they need to get a real threat from the point / crashing the net -- not neccessarily as "cute" as they have been for a number of years.

Have Marner & somebody with a shot on the points, have Matthews & Nylander on the wings, and Knies infront of the net.