Confirmed Signing with Link: [TOR] Leafs extend Morgan Rielly (8 years, $7.5M AAV)

[The Podium]

No because all low end ones aren’t making 9. If 4 d are making 7.5 in 8 years that’s means 1 are making 15+ salary cap isn’t going to be 160 million. (10ish percent of cap to 1 d)

In 8 years before the flat cap the salary cap raise 21.5 mill, or 35%. If we conservatively extrapolate the same 35% increase for the next 8 years that takes the salary ceiling at 110 mill. Lets be conservative, since COVID recovery might be a bit unpredictable and say that the salary cap is likely going to be somewhere in the 100-105 mill range.

Averaging Hedman and Doughty as examples as high end #1s who signed at the top of their game, the going rate for a high end #1 is roughly 12.3% of the cap or 12-13 mill in 8 years time.

Current #4D, lets say Alec Martinez for example, are at around 6% of the cap. In a 100-105 cap ceiling thatll work out to 6-6,5 mill.

So ya, maybe not #4 numbers, but not far off.

 

[mydnyte]

One of the better D contracts given recently. I'd rather have Rielly at 7,5 than Nurse or Jones for over 9mil. Every day of the week, twice on saturdays.

to be honest, i'd rather have Jones, but, i've always been a fan (not Nurse though, yuck) ...but, i also wanted Pietrangelo even with his 8+ even if it meant losing Rielly.
I'd have been okay with Rielly at 6.5, but, with the crazy deals going around lately for d-men, i guess 7.5 is 'decent'

 

[Oilslick941611]

They will face a challenge to ice a team of more than ten players.

maybe thats goal? then whine to league about it and get an cap exemption 70D chess

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

#3D LOL. He's a legitimate top pairing guy, we are more than happy with this signing. He might not be an elite #1D like Fox/Hedman etc. But he's a fine d-man. Considering Nurse got 9M, this is a steal.

Sens just signed a guy with a career high of 45 points to an 8m+ deal, maybe worry about that instead Thank you though we are very happy, glad to share this moment with a rival sens fan

Any true Leaf fan knows this is a disaster signing unless Leafs flip him or something. You will not win with Rielly as your number 1 at all. And with the way your cap set up, this is asking for trouble moving forward. 2 years in a row he has not been your best defender(not even 2nd best last year) and it'll remain that way. Rielly can still find an extra step to his game.. and if I am Leaf fans, I'm praying for it.

Ottawa absolutely overpaid for Tkachuk, I ain denying that, has nothing to do with this though.

 

[LeafGrief]

Thrilled with this. Rielly is a very good player, but still one with warts. This is top pairing money, but not #1 money. Excellent deal.

 

[NyQuil]

Sens just signed a guy with a career high of 45 points to an 8m+ deal, maybe worry about that instead Thank you though we are very happy, glad to share this moment with a rival sens fan

Well, he is 22 and Rielly is 27. Just for some context.

Probably still a bit overpaid.

 

[JT Kreider]

This contract takes him to age 35. Good deal but I'd like to see the structure in the later years of the deal.

The NHL salary cap is so ass backwards with players being underpaid for their best years and then by the time it comes for them to cash in on all their hard work they are approaching a downturn and only get paid based on what they accomplished in the past with it being practically impossible to live up to that in the future if they even manage to play throughout the entirety of their contract without being traded or worse bought out.

 

[kyle o connor]

With the league economics are Toronto's salary cap issues, you cannot sign this deal. You're committing yourself to selling off productive pieces/unable to acquire tangible help. For the duration of this contract the bottom 6/bottom 2 players are destined to be littered with has beens and never weres.

 

[Jerkbait]

Any true Leaf fan knows this is a disaster signing unless Leafs flip him or something. You will not win with Rielly as your number 1 at all. And with the way your cap set up, this is asking for trouble moving forward. 2 years in a row he has not been your best defender(not even 2nd best last year) and it'll remain that way. Rielly can still find an extra step to his game.. and if I am Leaf fans, I'm praying for it.

Ottawa absolutely overpaid for Tkachuk, I ain denying that, has nothing to do with this though.

Meh deal is fine , someone has the play back there and he woukd.have gotten more on the open market . This leaves the door open for a other 1/2 D in the near future if needed. Good signing on par .

 

[Voodoo Child]

Any true Leaf fan knows this is a disaster signing unless Leafs flip him or something. You will not win with Rielly as your number 1 at all. And with the way your cap set up, this is asking for trouble moving forward. 2 years in a row he has not been your best defender(not even 2nd best last year) and it'll remain that way. Rielly can still find an extra step to his game.. and if I am Leaf fans, I'm praying for it.

Ottawa absolutely overpaid for Tkachuk, I ain denying that, has nothing to do with this though.

He's averaged 58 points per 82 for the last four years - yes he went off for over 70 points a few years ago and missed time with injury the year after.

He's a 45-55 point guy with decent, not amazing, not bad but good enough D. He's an okay #1 but an excellent #2.

Also he's better than Muzzin, who once he gets through the annual slow start where he's garb for the first 15-20 games is a defensive rock until the inevitable season-ending injury. I don't know where people get this notion.

Brodie is excellent defensively but has the offensive instincts of Ryan Reeves.

He gets 8, maybe 8.5 in UFA.

I restate, he wasn't gonna take less but he would have taken more. It's nowhere near as bad as some of the deals Dmen have been getting lately.

 

[AvroArrow]

Any true Leaf fan knows this is a disaster signing unless Leafs flip him or something. You will not win with Rielly as your number 1 at all. And with the way your cap set up, this is asking for trouble moving forward. 2 years in a row he has not been your best defender(not even 2nd best last year) and it'll remain that way. Rielly can still find an extra step to his game.. and if I am Leaf fans, I'm praying for it.

Ottawa absolutely overpaid for Tkachuk, I ain denying that, has nothing to do with this though.

The unbiased ReginKarlssonLehner says it's a disaster, so it must be true

 

[RomanianLeafs]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

I am so freaking happy.

An excellent number 3 defender. Nothing more. This is gonna screw Leafs hard; you don't win cup with Rielly as your number 1, and you not gonna be able to afford him as a number 2 so this is amazing.

And why are u happy? U are an Ottawa fan with no chances ever at a title with Melnyk as an owner and with that core..so a leafs bad or good signing should not be your problem when u have bigger problems

 

[NyQuil]

The unbiased ReginKarlssonLehner says it's a disaster, so it must be true

Well, I suppose there are two ways to look at it.

1. Is it a good AAV and contract in a vacuum?

I think most people here think it's relatively reasonable in light of the other signings at that position that have taken place recently.

2. Does it mean that Rielly is the right fit for the Leafs for the next 8 years?

Obviously this is more debatable but personally I don't see his deal as being much of an impediment to making necessary changes if required.

 

[Holymakinaw]

With the league economics are Toronto's salary cap issues, you cannot sign this deal. You're committing yourself to selling off productive pieces/unable to acquire tangible help. For the duration of this contract the bottom 6/bottom 2 players are destined to be littered with has beens and never weres.

LOL. What "salary cap issues"? I keep hearing about how we will never find the money for Marner, or Matthews, or Reilly, or (insert name here) but we keep on signing all of them. And our bottom six guys are doing just fine, thanks.

We have no cap issues at all. We've got everyone we currently want, SIGNED. Campbell is likely next. Tell us all how we'll never find the money/space to sign him.

 

[Theodore450]

Actual good deal, makes sense considering Mo is the only player on that team that seems to give a shit

 

[NyQuil]

LOL. What "salary cap issues"? I keep hearing about how we will never find the money for Marner, or Matthews, or Reilly, or (insert name here) but we keep on signing all of them.

We have no cap issues at all. We've got everyone we currently want, SIGNED. Campbell is likely next. Tell us all how we'll never find the money/space to sign him.

I mean, you had a U of T goalie suiting up for an NHL game due to cap issues.

 

[The Management]

Lot of spicy takes here from the usual suspects. No surprise.

You can criticize the Leafs for a lot of things, including some of their signings, but this one is perfectly fair. Happy to have him signed.

 

[Romang67]

Middle-low end #1s are getting 9 mill right now, which means 7.5 is the current going rate for #2-3D. You dont think it moves down 1 rung of the salary ladder in 8 years?



Year 7 and 8 have 10 team NTC, 6 mill base salary with no signing bonus.

As of right now, Reilly will have the 21st highest cap-hit among NHL D-men next season.

 

[Voight]

For all the money #1 dmen signing for thats a pretty good bargin

I think Rielly really wanted to stay there so he took less than market value to make it work.

But good for the Leafs that they got him a solid 2 million cheaper.

 

[NyQuil]

As of right now, Reilly will have the 21st highest cap-hit among NHL D-men next season.

I'm more curious as to his rank among total defencemen that have signed at the current cap level.

 

[mydnyte]

Yep. A year older than Jake Muzzin who is looking pretty washed up himself. 33 is when the majority if NHL defensemen fall off.

Rielly key ability is his skating, and thats the last thing to go for all players (save injury) Muzzin's is/was physicality, and that tends to break down players pretty fast.
Muzzin also started last season line a turd on skates, but, got into it later, so, i'm hoping for the same, but, his body wont last, he should be on the block for a younger/unproven version of himself.

 

[Dirty Dog]

And why are u happy? U are an Ottawa fan with no chances ever at a title with Melnyk as an owner and with that core..so a leafs bad or good signing should not be your problem when u have bigger problems

why does Ottawa have no chance at a cup? What awful trash talk considering how much more playoff success they have had since the leafs last won a playoff series…

 

[JoVel]

Is Rielly really that bad?

Because if he was a 1D Dubas would give him 11 million.

 

[34]

AMAZING DEAL! WOW!

Good on Toronto. Rielly is better than the D men that are getting $9M +

 

[NyQuil]

I think Rielly really wanted to stay there so he took less than market value to make it work.

But good for the Leafs that they got him a solid 2 million cheaper.

I'd think most fan bases would be pretty peeved at signing him at 9.5 million.

I mean, Nurse is a punchline at that amount right now.