Blade of Steel has no direct affiliation to the NHL or NHLPA

Maple Leafs hit with rough Morgan Rielly news, but it might be a blessing in disguise


PUBLICATION
Alexander Cole
February 2, 2026  (2:56 PM)
SHARE THIS STORY

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) is covered by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) in the third period at Scotiabank Arena.
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is dealing with an injury right now, and today, the team got some bad news about the duration of that injury.

Morgan Rielly got injured a couple of nights ago against the Vancouver Canucks, and it certainly put the Leafs in a strange position.
Rielly is a defenseman who has been durable for this team, which is important when you consider how the Leafs have had a lot of issues when it comes to durability this season.
Having said that, the Leafs are in a tough spot in the standings, and they need all hands on deck. Having guys miss extended periods of time is just not an option.
Today at morning skate, there was some hope that we would see Rielly, and that he would even slot in against the Calgary Flames.

Morgan Rielly will be out for a while

As it turns out, that is not going to happen. According to Luke Fox, Rielly is going to have to miss tonight's game, as well as tomorrow night's game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Rielly will be given the Olympic break to recover from his injury, and the hope is that he can return to the team by February 25th.
It's not the easiest situation for the Maple Leafs to navigate, and we're sure they're not too pleased, but at the same time, this can be a blessing in disguise.
The Leafs have had success with Rielly out of the lineup. Perhaps this gives a chance for some other guys to shine and prove themselves.
It could also reaffirm the notion that the Leafs and Rielly need to have a serious conversation about his future, and whether or not he stays.
Lastly, this could be a good time for Rielly to regroup, get healthy, and put himself in a position to succeed for the last 25 games of the season.
POLL
FEVRIER 2|427 ANSWERS
Maple Leafs hit with rough Morgan Rielly news, but it might be a blessing in disguise

Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs are better without Morgan Rielly?

YES31473.5 %
NO11326.5 %
List of polls

BLADE OF STEEL
COPYRIGHT @2026 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS OF SERVICE - PRIVACY POLICY - COOKIE POLICY
RSS FEED - SITEMAP - ROBOTS.TXT