Morgan Rielly

[Ports]

This is a minority view but I still think he’s salvageable. I said it earlier in the thread but him losing a few pounds might really help in getting back a bit of speed and agility.
I say just tell him to go all offence; if nothing else his point production goes up and he’s easier to move if they decide they really can’t live with having him anymore. I doubt that’s the way Berube thinks though..

He’s not. 12 seasons of him being a turnstile is enough.

 

[Ports]

I never loved him or thought he was anything close to a 1D, but this playoffs really opened my eyes.

I always just focused on the core 4 forwards and their mental midgetry and sacklessness but holy mother of god this guy is actually my #1 focus/target for excommunicating (Marner's already left in my brain, total nonfactor in my thought process for 25-26)
After this POs watching him be terrified, standing still, and being the polar opposite of a puck moving dman, I would employ every strategy possible to convince him to leave like they eventually did with Kadri to Calgary. I actually don't think his contract is horrendous, it's probably quite fair for a ~50 pts "top pair" D, but no one has failed as much or as hard as he has for so long and the culture shock movement needs him as its talisman.

Top pair? On what team ?

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Rielly has always been terrible defensively and that won’t work In Berube’s system. He was even bad last season with Keefe as the coach. Also his cap hit is about twice as much as the players you mentioned and comparing Rielly to Tanev is a joke.

Your certainty is the real joke here.

What do you know about what Berube wants? You have no idea.

Also I am talking about age & ability which is in question in this thread when speaking about Rielly. We don't know if OEL and Tanev will be ok or show a declining ability.

This thread is not called "Pridham's Corner". We are talking about all things Rielly. Not just the donkey fickle tendencies of Leaf Fan GMs like yourself.

 

[Ports]

Your certainty is the real joke here.

What do you know about what Berube wants? You have no idea.

Also I am talking about age & ability which is in question in this thread when speaking about Rielly. We don't know if OEL and Tanev will be ok or show a declining ability.

This thread is not called "Pridham's Corner". We are talking about all things Rielly. Not just the donkey fickle tendencies of Leaf Fan GMs like yourself.

If you don’t know what Treliving and Berube want from their defenseman by now you need to do some more research. And I’m not fickle in the least. I’ve never been a Rielly fan and hated the contract the moment Dubas gave it to him. Read the tea leaves. You’re in the minority on this guy and obviously care more about the player than the team winning.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

If you don’t know what Treliving and Berube want from their defenseman by now you need to do some more research. And I’m not fickle in the least. I’ve never been a Rielly fan and hated the contract the moment Dubas gave it to him. Read the tea leaves. You’re in the minority on this guy and obviously care more about the player than the team winning.

You're projecting wildly here. I don't believe I even mentioned I was a fan.

What are you talking about? Hate? Why get so emotional over that?

There is no one more passionate about the Leafs (I am considered elite around these parts), but I am a big critic of this perfectionism people demand. Fans can't handle having Rielly around, but see no potential issue with the other blueliners.

I like OEL (as an example), but I am not going to pretend I don't know who he is. The wheels might fall off next season for all we know.

There is no certainty.

 

[Stephen]

Mo is playing around 15 pounds too heavy. He needs to come into camp in better shape cause yeah, a double chin on a professional athlete is not a good look.

Full year of Carlo and more comfort with Chief's system, I'm hopeful he can rebound but it's dicey.

He’s so weak and slow out there. His signature move is being 1 stride too late, trying but unsuccessfully leaning on a guy as they go to the net and score. You have to think he’s playing with at least 25 pounds of useless flab.

 

[Stephen]

You're projecting wildly here. I don't believe I even mentioned I was a fan.

What are you talking about? Hate? Why get so emotional over that?

There is no one more passionate about the Leafs (I am considered elite around these parts), but I am a big critic of this perfectionism people demand. Fans can't handle having Rielly around, but see no potential issue with the other blueliners.

I like OEL (as an example), but I am not going to pretend I don't know who he is. The wheels might fall off next season for all we know.

There is no certainty.

Anyone who declines in performance relative to contract and is a certain age is fair game to be purged. It’s pro sports. Right now, it’s Rielly’s time to go and if OEL falls off next year or the year after it will be his time to go.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Anyone who declines in performance relative to contract and is a certain age is fair game to be purged. It’s pro sports. Right now, it’s Rielly’s time to go and if OEL falls off next year or the year after it will be his time to go.

I wish I knew, and I wish it wasn't such a tall order to move him. If we know he's a diminishing asset, then what GM would trade for him? It would have to be a pennies on the dollar trade. What is the urgency to trade Rielly? We don't even know if we have a 2nd and 3rd line C next season.

 

[Stephen]

I wish I knew, and I wish it wasn't such a tall order to move him. If we know he's a diminishing asset, then what GM would trade for him? It would have to be a pennies on the dollar trade. What is the urgency to trade Rielly? We don't even know if we have a 2nd and 3rd line C next season.

For me, moving Rielly and saving cap if possible has a non hockey component. I would be interested in changing the culture a little bit and there’s a purge-punishment angle too because I think Rielly has approached the game and his preparation in a less than professional way the last few years.

 

[Ports]

You're projecting wildly here. I don't believe I even mentioned I was a fan.

What are you talking about? Hate? Why get so emotional over that?

There is no one more passionate about the Leafs (I am considered elite around these parts), but I am a big critic of this perfectionism people demand. Fans can't handle having Rielly around, but see no potential issue with the other blueliners.

I like OEL (as an example), but I am not going to pretend I don't know who he is. The wheels might fall off next season for all we know.

There is no certainty.

What’s wrong with hating his contract Mr. Elite ? ( I liked Ian Turnbull but he was never elite. Played summer hockey with him and unlike your handle the dude was a ton of fun).

As for expecting perfection. You really believe people who see Rielly for what he is are demanding perfection ? Seriously ? How about don’t make bad pinches or lazy plays in game 7’s that cost the team series for a start. That’s not perfection. That’s the minimum they’d expect from a third pairing defenseman.

And what does wanting to use the $7.5M Rielly takes off the cap for a better defenseman have to do with OEL who’s better than Rielly for half the cost ? That’s a nebulous defense for keeping Rielly.

 

[thewave]

I am done with old players.

Get rid of him

 

[Ianturnedbull]

What’s wrong with hating his contract Mr. Elite ? ( I liked Ian Turnbull but he was never elite. Played summer hockey with him and unlike your handle the dude was a ton of fun).

As for expecting perfection. You really believe people who see Rielly for what he is are demanding perfection ? Seriously ? How about don’t make bad pinches or lazy plays in game 7’s that cost the team series for a start. That’s not perfection. That’s the minimum they’d expect from a third pairing defenseman.

And what does wanting to use the $7.5M Rielly takes off the cap for a better defenseman have to do with OEL who’s better than Rielly for half the cost ? That’s a nebulous defense for keeping Rielly.

No. It's a comment on certainty. I am not talking about cap numbers.

We've already gone through this. It's more technological.

Yes perfection. Some armchair gms look at production vs cap and lose their minds when one doesn't exceed the other.

It's hard to exceed every season. Just ask Matthews (who's currently playing like a 8 million dollar center).

 

[Mr Knies Guy]

I would hope that despite a NMC in this contract that BT would look at the options to deal Morgan Rielly away.

The fact that Leafs felt the need to go with 5 forwards at the expense of Rielly that suggests an upgrade is needed here..

BT also likes Big. Mean and Mobile and Rielly does not fit that bill.

I agree, Rielly really needs to take his poor defensive abilities elsewhere. If you're going to mention Kadri, at least get your facts straight. Kadri was disposed of in a trade to the Colorodo Avalanche, not to Calgary.

Kadri actually vetoed a direct trade to Calgary. The Calgary trade would have been better than our Leafs getting Kerfoot and Barrie !!!

That's what I meant - that he blocked the deal to Calgary; should've said the Calgary situation

Top pair? On what team ?

See the quotation marks around top pair in my post.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Just sit him until he begs for a trade. The players are all overpaid but think they matter more than the fans who pay him.

 

[seventieslord]

Reilly for karlson? We need a ppqb.

Rielly for Kreider. We need a top 6 LW but would there be too many cooks in the net front pp?

Rielly for zibby? Big contract for big contract

Overall, I'd have to give serious consideration to a Karlsson trade. 4 years older, but significantly better. Higher cap hit, but for fewer years.

However... Like many other smooth skating defensemen of the past (Coffey, Howe, Niedermayer...) for whatever reason his real value is at even strength and while good on the PP, he's not actually nearly as good as one would intuitively think he should be.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Reilly for karlson? We need a ppqb.

Rielly for Kreider. We need a top 6 LW but would there be too many cooks in the net front pp?

Rielly for zibby? Big contract for big contract

Karlsson or Kreider...eh. Maybe if EK was making 8.5 and not 10, or was 2 years older not 4.

I'd be all over that Zibby trade though especially if JT goes (assuming Mitch is leaving).

==

Love Mo, always loved Mo and wish him well but it's a story we've seen a hundred times; Guy shows up, endears and performs well, but enough time passes and he gets fat, complacent, 'Yeah we lost but I'll still get paid'.

Scored some goals this run, but made as many bad plays that led to us being scored on. He has to know what time it is, and that he's not winning anything here.

 

[Ports]

No. It's a comment on certainty. I am not talking about cap numbers.

We've already gone through this. It's more technological.

Yes perfection. Some armchair gms look at production vs cap and lose their minds when one doesn't exceed the other.

It's hard to exceed every season. Just ask Matthews (who's currently playing like a 8 million dollar center).

It has mostly to do with him being a completely unreliable defenseman. His production was the only thing his fans could hang their hat on but for a lot of seasoned observers he was always the weak link back there and that has only gotten worse.