What to do with Morgan Rielly - TSN: Cut from squad.

[Kelly]

I'd say it's pretty simple.

Carlyle should give him the 5-game tryout, and if he thinks Rielly can benefit the leafs more than a Phaneuf/Gunnarsson/Gardiner/Liles then he should keep him up. Playing a lead role with the Warriors would be more beneficial to his development than suffocating on the 3rd pair and also getting a bit of power-play minutes would be. I personally see him getting scratched, only tools of his that are NHL-par is his offense.

 

[4evaBlue]

So what you're saying is that Morgan can't develop better or refine his skills playing and practicing with the best players in the world, while being under the tutelage of a Norris trophy winning coach?

It comes down to getting 3rd pairing minutes in the NHL, with limited PP time vs 25 mins a night, and used in all situations with Moose Jaw.

 

[7even]

I'm all for a holistic evaluation, but I'd want him sent back down in like, 90% of possible outcomes. If he blows everyone away and lights it up, yeah, keep him up. But I'd rather take the safe route with him and honestly, 48 games isn't worth it. This season's a write-off anyways.

 

[The Beyonder]

I don't think you should give him 5 games even. We have plenty of NHL defenders, ones that play his role as well:

Gunnnar - Phaneuf
Liles - Franson
Fraser - Komi
Holzer

Where does Rielly fit? Playing this year would just be a waste of a year of his contract for no reason. We already have 7 NHL ready Defensemen. Not to mention we have 3 D men in the starting 6 that are more offensive than defensive, in Phaneuf, Liles and Franson. Once Gardiner gets back, thats 4 in the top 5. Imagine if we play Rielly for 5 games, he plays good enough to where we keep him, we would have a group of D men, where possibly 5 of the 6 D men are more offensive than defensive. Not to mention the problems it would cause in terms of the Lefty/righty pairings.

Morgan would be huge for the team on the PP, imo none of those guys are as good at QB-ing the PP more than Morgan. I think Morgan is definitely in a numbers game and is definitely to his detriment even if he does play well, but with that being said, he would help the PP a tonne.

 

[Tak7]

Badly made poll. Or rather, a poll made with bias.

If I could change it, I would.

But I assure you there is no bias - I just assumed that he would be staying up for the start of the season, and therefore removed the "send him down now" option seeing as it wasn't one that was going valid to the discussion.

 

[The Beyonder]

It comes down to getting 3rd pairing minutes in the NHL, with limited PP time vs 25 mins a night, and used in all situations with Moose Jaw.

And that's an assessment that the coaches will have to make as to where he fits into their lineup based on how he plays and what he has to offer. I'm more for sending him down, but at the same time an assessment has to be made at the proper time. I find it ridiculous that people are implicitly calling the NHL a development hell-hole or a graveyard for 18 year old defencemen; 18 year olds can develop in the NHL as well under the tutelage of well minded coaching personnel. I just think we should assess after we see how he plays and how he fits on the team instead of just sending him down based on the paranoia that he'll be "ruined" for being kept up.

 

[Tak7]

oh Rielly plays amazing?

SEND HIM DOWN!

(stupid thinking)

It's not stupid thinking at all.

You tell him right now that he's up for 5 games and then he's getting sent down no matter what, is smart.

Why keep him up here this season? This team has every chance of being a playoff team as it has being a basement dweller. Have we not learned with the handling of Schenn, that putting young players to the sword too soon is just not smart?

What if he plays great for 6 or 7 or 8 games, and then hits a huge wall? You are wasting a year on his contract, and an important year in his development, by unnecessarily rushing the kid into the National Hockey League.

And for what reason? To show the fans we like young kids playing?

Ridiculous.

 

[Tak7]

I'm all for a holistic evaluation, but I'd want him sent back down in like, 90% of possible outcomes. If he blows everyone away and lights it up, yeah, keep him up. But I'd rather take the safe route with him and honestly, 48 games isn't worth it. This season's a write-off anyways.

So much common sense. Great post

 

[Canada4Gold]

Poll is terrible. I get you think that he's gonna start Saturday but at least give us a poll with all available options

 

[Tak7]

The only logical answer is to play him the 5 games and re-evaluate his play. Why the hell would people send him down or keep him up without considering his play and how he helps the team win?

Simply put - sending him down irrespective of his performances in a suspected 5-game audition with the Leafs, manages his own expectations and the expectations of the fans. That plays a huge part on the type of pressure on a young player.

Also - as I've mentioned above, how important is playing 40ish games in a shortened season to his development? Would you want to burn a year on his contract for a 40-game schedule where he might get destroyed in this league?


Be patient with our young players, the way Detroit is with theirs.

 

[Anthrax442]

Wouldn't that just be option #1?

No, There are other guys that earned a shot before him. Holzer/ Blacker 1st.

 

[The Beyonder]

Simply put - sending him down irrespective of his performances in a suspected 5-game audition with the Leafs, manages his own expectations and the expectations of the fans. That plays a huge part on the type of pressure on a young player.

Also - as I've mentioned above, how important is playing 40ish games in a shortened season to his development? Would you want to burn a year on his contract for a 40-game schedule where he might get destroyed in this league?


Be patient with our young players, the way Detroit is with theirs.

To me, in a sport that is entirely based on performance, sending a player down irrespective of performance is sending the wrong message to fans and the player. You can manage expectations off the ice, not on it. If a player is playing well and helping the team win then you keep that player, if you don't then you're sending an extremely negative message to your fans and more importantly to the player. I think sending a player down for development reasons while not considering his play in the NHL is a detriment to his development. If a player is NHL ready and helps his team at the highest level, then playing at the level is the next logical step in his development.

Personally, I would prefer to send him down, but it is only logical to consider his play in his 5 games, which he'll most likely get, and then make an educated assessment on where he is in terms of his development to being an NHL ready player.

 

[ironrhcp]

I'd send him down without playing any games.

Thats really dumb, he has 5 "freebies" pretty much might as well see what the kids got, It wont hurt any.

 

[diceman934]

He will play and force Randy to make a very tough decision. He is far more skilled then Carlyle's other options and that is what makes it tough. Good luck Morgan and remember: Hounds have Heart!

 

[PhillyFrisco]

Play him for 2-3 games. Send him back down and let him dominate the dub and build his confidence.

Recall at the end of the season for another 2-3 games as a reward/inspiration for next season.

Might be ready for the big leagues next year. Might be ready this year too but I'd rather err on the side of caution especially when it comes to 18-19 year old defencemen.

 

[Action Jackson]

Send him down.

 

[Beaninfritz]

Play for 5, then send him back down. It gives both coaching and management a chance to catch a glimpse of what he's like. Sure we could keep him up, and hope that being amongst NHLers, and learning from NHL coaches will be a tremendous boon to his development. But realistically, he'd get 3rd pairing duties as the season would wear on. His offensive game is solid, no worries there. But his defensive game is questionable at the NHL level. Also, it tends to be a trend with players, that the more they play, the better they get at playing.

He could practice all day and night, but it's during the actual game that a player really improves. Also, let's not forget he missed pretty much all of last season due to injury. What he needs is as many minutes on ice, in actual game situations, as he can possibly get.

Also, I'm not sure exactly what Ranger's situation is contractually, but I'd bet the leafs would give him a shot with the leafs before Rielly.

I'd say give it two years tops for the Leafs to finally figure out what they're doing with their d-core, and then you'll see Rielly in the top 4. Maybe next season, but definitely the season after that for sure.

 

[Atomos2]

He will play and force Randy to make a very tough decision. He is far more skilled then Carlyle's other options and that is what makes it tough. Good luck Morgan and remember: Hounds have Heart!

I hope so. I want him to be in the best position possible where he can come in a dominate the league. Not sure when/if that will happen, but that is what I'd want to see in him; just coming in with confidence and knowing that he is better at hockey than some NHLers

 

[4evaBlue]

He will play and force Randy to make a very tough decision. He is far more skilled then Carlyle's other options and that is what makes it tough. Good luck Morgan and remember: Hounds have Heart!

How do you think his defense will be when facing NHL opponents? I know of a prospect that hasn't been able to crack the roster supposedly because of his defensive deficiencies. I'm sure making high risk passes in scrimmage will help Rielly's case.

 

[onebighockeyfan]

I don;t think he should play 5 games. He will be great one day but he is not ready yet. The poll should have this possibility.

 

[achtungbaby]

pretty much agree. he should go down because i doubt he can help the team win right now. as for his long term development, it makes no difference where he plays the rest of this season.

same question year after year, just different names.

But this year it's different... . I'd send him down after training camp and let him get a full season of junior in as well.

 

[The Caveman]

From what I saw at the WJ, he didn't seem overly confident in his own zone. The only reason we are even considering leaving him up is because jake is (was) injured. If Gardiner was here, there would be no discussion. Great talent, just not ready. Play him for a few games to give him experience at this level, then down he goes. Hopefully Gards will be back in a week.

 

[kihei]

What's the rush? It didn't help Schenn in the long run. Send Rielly down after five games.

 

[diceman934]

How do you think his defense will be when facing NHL opponents? I know of a prospect that hasn't been able to crack the roster supposedly because of his defensive deficiencies. I'm sure making high risk passes in scrimmage will help Rielly's case.

Kadri and Rielly are far different players.....Morgan see's the ice far better than Kadri and has a higher hockey I Q. I personally think Morgan will be more than fine Defensively if paired with a physical type D man. Morgan strengths is his vision and he keeps the puck safe while taking advantage of his opponents by making a great first pass or skating the puck out of trouble. He would instantly make the PP far better and would make Liles redundant and available.

I think the bigger issue is our lack of a D partner for Morgan to play with. Ideally you pair a rookie with a veteran who can mentor a rookie, we have no such D man. If Komi has a great camp with his loss of weight then this maybe his ideal partner. This may ultimately be the deciding factor and the reason why he is sent back to Moose Jaw.

 

[legendinblue]

I hope he will be sent down.