Rielly

[hobarth]

It would seem that the easy assumption is that TO's goalies are crap, change the goalie(s) and the problem goes away. I've never seen so much traffic in front of the goalies nor have I seen so many deflections, personally I think the goalies might give up an easy 1 goal per game but beyond that they literally need x-ray vision to have any idea where the puck is at any time. Earlier in the year TO owned the puck and still does , mostly, but teams know that traffic against TO isn't something the Leaf team can handle so those teams are making their opportunities pay. I don't think this is a physicality issue, altho added physicality might help, it is a personnel issue.

It's not totally a d-man issue, the forwards as a whole have wavering commitment to d, but TO's marquee d-man has been and still is not the type of d-man that can be relied on to be productive/responsible when the puck is in his zone. Rielly is a excellent offensive d-man but his d is horrible, don't believe me go back and watch the goals being scored against TO while he's on, zero physicality, no gap control, possibly the best puck watcher on TO even better than the forwards, out of position, rarely/never wins puck battles, the list is quite impressive. I would think that in order for Rielly to be worth his new contract starting next year he absolutely needs to be able to defend, he needs to be able to show and tell Lily, Sandin and Dermott how to play their position because he can. He's the worst offender of TO's d-men who doesn't do the right things to stop the opposition from clogging up the areas in front of Leaf goalies, he drives me nuts.

Kevin Papetti has tracked Dermott's 5v5 xGF% over the last 10 games and also Rielly's, guess who looks considerably worst, incredibly worse.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2022...maple-leafs-need-more-than-just-a-defenseman/

I see Rielly has a better +/- than any other Leaf d-man but as most tell us that's a crap stat, well Rielly has always needed a responsible/excellent defensive partner which shouldn't be a need of a d-man who'll be making $7.5 mil. per for the next 8 years, TO will always have to pair him with a partner making $5 mil. or more per which adds significantly to the cost of retaining Rielly.

Anyways, I've been pretty much on board with most of Dubie's moves/decisions but the Rielly signing has me very nervous, it screams desperation like the Phanny signing. If TO feels the need to move Dermott, then what should they do with Rielly? Ya, I get that Rielly has to face far tougher opposition than Dermott but then Dermott who is paid like a #6 d-man is outplaying who he plays against and therefore an asset, Rielly as a soon to be paid as a #1 d-man is definitely not outplaying his opposition.

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[Antropovsky]

I agree, leafs seem to have no intention of blocking shots. Playoff success seems built on defense, shot blocking and physical toughness...the desire to want it more than the opponent. Watching the leafs and they seem focused on trying to win with puck possession and skill and really want no part of anything physical - no boxing out, not much checking, no clearing the crease, no standing up for eachother, no shot blocking.... maybe this is the evolution of hockey and other teams are doing it too, I dont know.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Rielly has dropped off past couple weeks for sure but likely because he is playing with a weaker d partner .. Rielly Brodie in playoffs is fine in top 4 .. it is 2nd pair where da problem is .. we have NONE

 

[ULF_55]

It would seem that the easy assumption is that TO's goalies are crap, change the goalie(s) and the problem goes away. I've never seen so much traffic in front of the goalies nor have I seen so many deflections, personally I think the goalies might give up an easy 1 goal per game but beyond that they literally need x-ray vision to have any idea where the puck is at any time. Earlier in the year TO owned the puck and still does , mostly, but teams know that traffic against TO isn't something the Leaf team can handle so those teams are making their opportunities pay. I don't think this is a physicality issue, altho added physicality might help, it is a personnel issue.

It's not totally a d-man issue, the forwards as a whole have wavering commitment to d, but TO's marquee d-man has been and still is not the type of d-man that can be relied on to be productive/responsible when the puck is in his zone. Rielly is a excellent offensive d-man but his d is horrible, don't believe me go back and watch the goals being scored against TO while he's on, zero physicality, no gap control, possibly the best puck watcher on TO even better than the forwards, out of position, rarely/never wins puck battles, the list is quite impressive. I would think that in order for Rielly to be worth his new contract starting next year he absolutely needs to be able to defend, he needs to be able to show and tell Lily, Sandin and Dermott how to play their position because he can. He's the worst offender of TO's d-men who doesn't do the right things to stop the opposition from clogging up the areas in front of Leaf goalies, he drives me nuts.

Kevin Papetti has tracked Dermott's 5v5 xGF% over the last 10 games and also Rielly's, guess who looks considerably worst, incredibly worse.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2022...maple-leafs-need-more-than-just-a-defenseman/

I see Rielly has a better +/- than any other Leaf d-man but as most tell us that's a crap stat, well Rielly has always needed a responsible/excellent defensive partner which shouldn't be a need of a d-man who'll be making $7.5 mil. per for the next 8 years, TO will always have to pair him with a partner making $5 mil. or more per which adds significantly to the cost of retaining Rielly.

Anyways, I've been pretty much on board with most of Dubie's moves/decisions but the Rielly signing has me very nervous, it screams desperation like the Phanny signing. If TO feels the need to move Dermott, then what should they do with Rielly? Ya, I get that Rielly has to face far tougher opposition than Dermott but then Dermott who is paid like a #6 d-man is outplaying who he plays against and therefore an asset, Rielly as a soon to be paid as a #1 d-man is definitely not outplaying his opposition.

I've never bought into the #1 defender Rielly.
My concern was he'd end up in the Nurse salary bracket. I don't buy Nurse either, but that's the Oilers issue.
He is in tier 2 category with 7.5 UFA salary.
That's what he is in my opinion, a top tier 2 defender, but his new salary is commensurate with that.

 

[Sypher04]

Rielly has dropped off past couple weeks for sure but likely because he is playing with a weaker d partner .. Rielly Brodie in playoffs is fine in top 4 .. it is 2nd pair where da problem is .. we have NONE

If the Leafs end up going after Chiarot, which admittedly I think is reasonably likely, and they get him, I could see him pairing with Rielly. That leaves Brodie free to elevate either Muzzin or Holl on that 2nd pair, depending on Muzzins health

 

[lipstickjunkie]

Rielly is the least of our concerns.

 

[AvroArrow]

Rielly is fine. He's a legitimate top pairing guy, if our goalies could stop a beach ball it would be nice. That kind of goaltending would make Lidstrom look bad.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

If we had average goaltending Rielly would be looking like a legit #1 - which he did before our goalies forgot how to play their position.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

If the Leafs end up going after Chiarot, which admittedly I think is reasonably likely, and they get him, I could see him pairing with Rielly. That leaves Brodie free to elevate either Muzzin or Holl on that 2nd pair, depending on Muzzins health

Holl should not even be close to playoff roster .. he has AHL level skills .. at best a 6th/7th replacement level player

 

[Sypher04]

Holl should not even be close to playoff roster .. he has AHL level skills .. at best a 6th/7th replacement level player

I don’t really disagree. For the moment though he’s a Leaf and a key penalty killer

 

[Shooter2x]

Legit concerns, but he's so sick in everything else I turn a blind eye to it. Just pair him properly and it's a non-issue. Most would agree Rielly doesn't have the total package a lot covet in a elite no.1 but he has enough to be in a top pairing regardless.

I think his AAV reflects this perfectly. It's right where it should be.

 

[Gallagbi]

If the Leafs end up going after Chiarot, which admittedly I think is reasonably likely, and they get him, I could see him pairing with Rielly. That leaves Brodie free to elevate either Muzzin or Holl on that 2nd pair, depending on Muzzins health

Can he play the right?

 

[PROUD PAPA]

Rielly is the least of our concerns.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[Aashir]

Rielly is one of the 2-3 guys who brings it in the playoffs

he is on pace for 60+ points. He is playing on a pairing with Liljegren and against top pairing competition


This thread is bonkers

 

[Sypher04]

Can he play the right?

I feel like he has but I could be wrong

 

[LeafGrief]

There are always a lot of strange opinions floating around leafsland, especially in times of turmoil, but the threads about our defensemen never fail to make me shake my head. Sometimes I wonder if we're watching different teams.

 

[Fogelhund]

Rielly is the least of our concerns.

Ain't that the truth!

In actual GA/60, Rielly has been our second worst D this year.

Objectively, Rielly is our worst D man (defensively), and that's been a pattern of his for some time.

Thankfully, despite his defensive woes, we still put in more goals, when he's on the ice, than we have scored against us ... high event hockey for you.

 

[Buds17]

Rielly plays the most minutes (relative to the rest of the team) and produces to that same degree (relative to the rest of the blueline). Pairing him with a Brodie is also in the interest of being able to run a legitimate top pairing. Dermott is fine enough and almost paid accordingly when considering what he offers to the team. However, it shouldn't be ignored that he's also at the opposite end of the blueline depth chart in comparison to Rielly.

 

[LeafGrief]

When I watch Morgan Rielly, I can clearly see a fantastic hockey player. The guy plays attacking hockey and generates fantastic offense off the rush. He's terrifically fun to watch push the puck up the ice. He's not a perfect #1D, he's not strong defensively (he's not amazing, but he is no Tyson Barrie) and he could be a better special teams player. But it's just so obvious that he's a positive difference maker, despite any defensive gaffes. Keefe throws him over the boards for 25 minutes a night and he makes the Leafs better. I want any guy who does that on the team. There are better defensemen in the league and it would be totally awesome if we had one of them. But they are neither common, nor available. Rielly is a leader on the team, making a fair contract, and has raised his game in the playoffs.

The Leafs core might need a big shakeup this summer, but Rielly is a player we really should keep. Move a forward to try and get someone who would make Rielly the #2. Fine by me, Morgan Rielly belongs in the blue and white.

 

[PROUD PAPA]

In actual GA/60, Rielly has been our second worst D this year.

Objectively, Rielly is our worst D man (defensively), and that's been a pattern of his for some time.

Thankfully, despite his defensive woes, we still put in more goals, when he's on the ice, than we have scored against us ... high event hockey for you.

Chart reads like we're talking about an offensive d-man.

 

[Morgs]

In actual GA/60, Rielly has been our second worst D this year.

Objectively, Rielly is our worst D man (defensively), and that's been a pattern of his for some time.

Thankfully, despite his defensive woes, we still put in more goals, when he's on the ice, than we have scored against us ... high event hockey for you.

Yep. Always been a disaster defensively. As long as the points continue though there's no problem, especially at his contract.

He's a strong play driver against good comp, but realistically the more you can shelter him defensively and keep him away from our net the better we'd be for it.

 

[GrizzGreen]

My concern was he'd end up in the Nurse salary bracket. I don't buy Nurse either, but that's the Oilers issue.

Nurse is awful, Rielly is paid correctly, imo

 

[Carltons Cup]

Rielly is an enigma...

He'll have stretches where he looks like a Norris candidate, then he'll have a stretch where he looks abysmal.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Not many defensemen can operate at the level he was when the D was healthy for a whole season when guys start going down.

He turns 28 on Wednesday, unless he takes a few bad leg injuries or concussions, he’s going to still be pretty good when he’s 33.

He took a friendly deal in 2016 and this last one is his bag.

 

[hobarth]

60 point players, especially d-men, are great but what they do when not scoring is also crucial to any evaluation of them. Rielly normally is a streak scorer, he piles up points for stretches but even then his d is not good, when his scoring goes dormant he's still poor defensively and as someone TO needs to rely on for success he might be TO's poster boy for lack of success in the playoffs. He needs to be propped up to be part of a somewhat respectable 1st pairing d so his future contract isn't any kind of a bargain. Considering that Muzzin and Holl, yes Holl, have been relied upon as TO's defensive mainstays even tho Brodie, a true quality d-man, has been paired with Rielly gives us a the perfect understanding of even what the Leafs think of Rielly.