Confirmed with Link: Rielly signs 8 year extension - 7.5M AAV

[57 Years No Cup]

Why would this be the case?

The cap rising 1 mil + Kessel's retention off the books almost covers the Rielly salary entirely. Trading Kerfoot would give them additional wiggle room. As would replacing Kase with a cheaper RFA next season

How does the team get better?

 

[Leaf Rocket]

He was always staying here.

And people were sweating bullets. Man was getting paid either here or elsewhere. It is great to see him stay, pretty solid and I know well loved for ure.

 

[Racer88]

I’m kinda glad he is staying a Leaf but I can’t help wonder who gets sacrificed to make this fit next year

 

[Niagara Bill]

This deal pays him as the 22nd highest paid dman in The NHL for next season, and he's better than everyone behind him except for Slavin and Theodore. For this season, that deal would have him as the 19th highest paid dman. This is also before 5 big names (Fox, Letang, Klingberg, Lindholm, Giordano and maybe Risto because GMs are dumb) get signed that should push him down to ~27th which seems very fair.

But, it ties the Leafs hands because of the big 4. If Marner or JT were being paid a reasonable $$$, then maybe ok fir Reilly. But on this team, this us way too much tied up for a player not elite. It stops us from getting an elite d man even if we could trade Marner even up for one.

 

[Kurtz]

How does the team get better?

Need to keep finding more Spezzas & Buntings - guys who want to come home and play on a discount. And it wouldn't hurt to develop a prospect or two.

Can also do what TB did when they started to run into cap issues - spend firsts to bring in guys on cheap deals with term (Coleman, Goodrow) instead of spending those picks on expiring vet rentals.

 

[hockeyisgud]

It's not a bad contract. He just made so many mistakes before and this is highlighting them.

 

[zeke]

YAY! We get to keep the same underachieving team! Yay!

If we want to change the team, trading the top guys is always an option.

 

[LaPlante94]

I see people complaining and say we should move on from Rielly. We literally have nobody to replace him and what he brings to this team. Muzzin has fallen off a cliff (hopefully an injury), Holl is still Holl but without the hard carry now, Sandin has been hit or miss, Dermott is pretty much the same as Sandin and Liljegren we have no idea about because he never gets to play.

 

[notbias]

I’m kinda glad he is staying a Leaf but I can’t help wonder who gets sacrificed to make this fit next year

Kerfoot/Holl/Ritchie? If Kampf is playing 3C and doing well, Kerfoot is the obvious choice.

We have a bunch of prospects who need a shot soon, the top two being LW, you'd think they try some out next year.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

They are spending around 8M on Kerfoot, Holl and Ritchie. All 3 have 1 year left on their deals. All 3 are tradable to some degree.

It's probable the Leafs do look at trading someone like Marner or even Nylander though... but it's not necessary.

It's not very complicated.

Why do you guys think that standing pat with this underachieving team is acceptable?

 

[Dave92]

Props to dubas on this one, that's a great AAV compared to what's been handed out lately.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Wow not sure how I missed getting a notification for this one...

Great to see Morgan likely remains a leaf for his entire career. Like the AAV and I think he will be a pretty good player into his 30s.

Overall like the contract and am interested, as other have said, who the leafs trade to make this fit. Guessing Dermott, Kerfoot ++ are gone?

 

[Racer88]

Kerfoot/Holl/Ritchie? If Kampf is playing 3C and doing well, Kerfoot is the obvious choice.

We have a bunch of prospects who need a shot soon, the top two being LW, you'd think they try some out next year.

Out of that list it would be Ritchie, Holl or Kerfoot in that order

 

[slozo]

Like the deal, nice hearing that for once we didn't pay full market value or overpay . . . nice!

 

[Nylander88]

I’m kinda glad he is staying a Leaf but I can’t help wonder who gets sacrificed to make this fit next year

Kerfoot.
Heck I wouldn't be surprised if Kerfoot gets packaged with one of Holl or Dermott this season for D help

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Nylander and Matthews posted the extension as their Instagram stories. Love it. Hate them all you want but we can all agree that your core believing in each other is necessary to get over the mental hurdle. Most teams that checked out don't have players showing off their team mates extension.

 

[IPS]

Why do you guys think that standing pat with this underachieving team is acceptable?

I'll never understand...

 

[lovemyleafs]

Don't like it. I'm not a big fan of Rielly and believe he's peaked.

 

[Jozay]

Was hoping for a around 500k less, but oh well

Hes not a perfect player, but its cool that he'll be a Leaf for life.

 

[kb]

LOL

Easy to say, but Mo doesn't sign that and we are right back to trading him to get a fraction of his worth back.

Yeah, the "genius at work" crew think they can get any player to do anything because they are so much better and smarter.

 

[Tak7]

YAY! We get to keep the same underachieving team! Yay!

I get this take. It's not wrong.

But we are worse without him, and don't have the assets / draft capital to improve on him.

So, as always, it's going to come down to whether or not the core can perform AND whether they can hit home runs with their margin-filling depth players.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

And how

I get this take. It's not wrong.

But we are worse without him, and don't have the assets / draft capital to improve on him.

So, as always, it's going to come down to whether or not the core can perform AND whether they can hit home runs with their margin-filling depth players.

And how's that working so far?

 

[zeke]

And how

And how's that working so far?

If you want them to trade the core four, this signing effects that decision not at all.

 

[notbias]

Out of that list it would be Ritchie, Holl or Kerfoot in that order

I agree, the season is still young, plenty of time to decide. It also depends on what prospects are ready. If Kase is re-signed and Amirov and Robertson are ready, does Kerfoot now play 4th line C/LW? In that case, I'd keep Ritchie over him potentially.

I am sure this has been talked about at length between management.

The Leafs are far from cap trouble though, like most teams against the cap, they have decisions to make for next year, I actually think the Leafs' decisions are going to be straight forward compared to some other teams, it isn't like anyone will be getting a 7 million dollar raise coming off their ELC.

 

[ottomaddox]

What kind of post is this? Such a silly post.

Everyone's salary has been negotiated by a third party based on their performance.

I guess any job with commissions is set up wrong since it can create a great divide between good salesmen and average ones...

No. Not in sales.