Jimmy Firecracker
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque.
I've seen too many Leafs fans opining that this team doesn't need Rielly due to this hot stretch we've been on and frankly I'm sick of it. How quickly we forget how great a player he is and can be. People seem to forget that he's one of the best offensive defensmen and puck movers in the league while being a solid penalty killer. Not to mention his leadership qualities and the fact that he's a good playoff performer, being tied for 20th in defensemen scoring (25 points in 39 playoff games) in the playoffs since 16-17, while playing far fewer games than many of the defensemen ahead of him.
A justification for moving him is that the Leafs are somehow better without him, and if that's the logic you're using then I guess we can show Matthews the door too, since the Leafs are a whopping 30-15-2 without him, a 0.659 winning percentage. Yes the Leafs have been stellar since Morgan went down to injury, but lest we forget he was here for the first 5 games of this point streak that saw the Leafs go 3-0-2, and when you look at the 10 games he was healthy after the disastrous Anaheim game the Leafs were 6-1-3 with him and he had 9 points in those 10 games.
Another justification is that Sandin is just fine quarterbacking the powerplay compared to Rielly, and while I like Sandin there just fine he has room to grow and the powerplay has also been getting progressively worse since Rielly went on LTIR. Rielly went on LTIR November 22nd, which is about when the xGF on the PP started dropping. The raw results themselves have also not been there.
It's true that Rielly is poor defensively but that doesn't mean that he is expendable or that the Leafs are better without him. There is something to be said about loyalty and team chemistry both on the ice and in the locker room. Rielly is well liked by the team and is willing to go the extra mile to help this team win. And honestly the logic that the Leafs have played well without Rielly so therefore they should trade him is nonsensical. If we follow that train of thought then the Bruins should've traded Marchand and/or McAvoy earlier this year since they were kicking ass without them.
Make no mistake, when this team goes on a playoff run Rielly will be a huge reason why, and all this talk about trading him will look just as foolish as the Marner trade talk from two weeks into the season.
A justification for moving him is that the Leafs are somehow better without him, and if that's the logic you're using then I guess we can show Matthews the door too, since the Leafs are a whopping 30-15-2 without him, a 0.659 winning percentage. Yes the Leafs have been stellar since Morgan went down to injury, but lest we forget he was here for the first 5 games of this point streak that saw the Leafs go 3-0-2, and when you look at the 10 games he was healthy after the disastrous Anaheim game the Leafs were 6-1-3 with him and he had 9 points in those 10 games.
Another justification is that Sandin is just fine quarterbacking the powerplay compared to Rielly, and while I like Sandin there just fine he has room to grow and the powerplay has also been getting progressively worse since Rielly went on LTIR. Rielly went on LTIR November 22nd, which is about when the xGF on the PP started dropping. The raw results themselves have also not been there.
It's true that Rielly is poor defensively but that doesn't mean that he is expendable or that the Leafs are better without him. There is something to be said about loyalty and team chemistry both on the ice and in the locker room. Rielly is well liked by the team and is willing to go the extra mile to help this team win. And honestly the logic that the Leafs have played well without Rielly so therefore they should trade him is nonsensical. If we follow that train of thought then the Bruins should've traded Marchand and/or McAvoy earlier this year since they were kicking ass without them.
Make no mistake, when this team goes on a playoff run Rielly will be a huge reason why, and all this talk about trading him will look just as foolish as the Marner trade talk from two weeks into the season.
