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.

 

[ToneDog]

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.

Dump him asap before you have to seriously sweeten to move him.

 

[robertmac43]

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.

I mean there is a certain age where Male sperm is less effective. So this is a moronic comment and not even true.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

Rielly can probably cut like 20 lbs at least, if he was crushing guys or moving well, okay but if he's not physical, he should probably be very mobile.

Not sure if it's 20lbs but the second I saw Mo sporting a healthy double chin in training camp I knew he was in trouble

I mean there is a certain age where Male sperm is less effective. So this is a moronic comment and not even true.

what about female sperm?

 

[Martin Skoula]

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.

Haha yeah playing a children’s game after your money is already guaranteed so Rogers can make more money selling overpriced dogshit is the most important thing in life

 

[Dekes For Days]

The first minus is definitely on Rielly last night.

The first minus is on all of them. Rielly for losing his puck battle, McCabe/Domi/Holmberg for standing around in front of the net doing nothing and covering nobody and supporting nobody, and Nylander for cherry picking during a defensive situation.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

I know plus/minus is not the end all and be all but Mo has been on the ice for 20 goals in the last 13 games...I mean that's Reaves level bad.

 

[67Leafs67]

Not really sure what you do with Morgan Rielly. He's on the third year of an eight year contract at $7.5M and he has a full NMC until 2028-29, at which point he has a 10 team NTC. So, unless Rielly wants to move (and he seems pretty committed to staying in Toronto), he isn't going anywhere until at least July 1st, 2028.

The best the Leafs can do is manage him. The news about the expected cap increases today is good, as $7.5M as a % of the total cap-hit will get more and more manageable. For this season, I don't know what you do, short of acquiring another player. OEL - Tanev has been solid enough, but Rielly - McCabe hasn't worked with McCabe on his off-side. Rielly - Myers isn't going to be your second pairing in the playoffs, and the Leafs' third pairing isn't near strong enough to be relied upon in any real sense at this point.

As much as he's frustrating at his cap-hit, and not producing near enough this year, Rielly still is a solid enough player, and has always elevated come playoff time. Let's hope that after the Four Nations break he comes out flying, finds his form, and maybe the Leafs add a sturdy RHD to play with him at the deadline.

 

[Deez Nuts]

The first minus is on all of them. Rielly for losing his puck battle, McCabe/Domi/Holmberg for standing around in front of the net doing nothing and covering nobody and supporting nobody, and Nylander for cherry picking during a defensive situation.

When the entire forum thinks he sucks, his stats suck and both current and ex coaches say he sucks it means he sucks. Give it up bro. Even Diceman ain’t here backing him up.

 

[Ports]

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.

Why is a buyout the worst option? If his game doesn’t improve he’ll basically become untradable unless the Leafs eat $2-3M of his contact. That will reduce their cap space for the next five seasons. If they buy him out, it only costs them $25M cash over 10 seasons and saves $21M in cap space over the next 5 seasons. A benefit of at least $5-7M in cap space annually.

 

[Dekes For Days]

When the entire forum thinks he sucks, his stats suck and both current and ex coaches say he sucks it means he sucks.

I actually noted that Rielly made a mistake there. I just didn't ignore the contributions of the other 4 people on the ice to blame it all on Rielly.

Nobody is denying that Rielly has had his struggles this year relative to the level he has been for years, but the exaggerations are through the roof. No, his stats don't suck. No, his coach doesn't say he sucks. In fact, he gives him the most minutes on the team. What some on this forum think isn't worth a whole lot.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Why is a buyout the worst option? If his game doesn’t improve he’ll basically become untradable unless the Leafs eat $2-3M of his contact. That will reduce their cap space for the next five seasons. If they buy him out, it only costs them $25M cash over 10 seasons and saves $21M in cap space over the next 5 seasons. A benefit of at least $5-7M in cap space annually.

I think the playoffs will happen and then the team is going to evaluate, if he doesn't produce in the playoffs, he's going to be on the outs I think. Tree never extended him.

I still maintain the only chance he waives is for SEA/LAK/CGY/VAN if he wants to be near his family.

If he will not waive, you do need to do the buy out, he's been unplayable for over a month.

 

[Maple Leaf]

If the leafs are smart they trade this guy (no playoff success) but they are not very smart