Top insider confirms Morgan Rielly's place on the trade block
Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has had to deal with a lot of chatter over the past year or so, and it doesn't seem like that is going away.
Morgan Rielly is a defenseman who became a bit of a whipping boy last season as he was facing a plethora of offensive struggles that hurt the Leafs.
In 82 games, he had just 41 points, which is not what you come to expect from the defenseman. Amid these struggles, there were calls for the veteran to be traded, although his no-movement clause got in the way of that.
This season has been a much different story for Rielly. He has 16 points through 19 games, and while his defensive play has been suspect at times, there is no denying that he has been an offensive contributor.
Are the Toronto Maple Leafs trading Morgan Rielly?
With all of that being said, the Leafs are near the bottom of the Atlantic Division right now, and there is a real sense that the team could be sellers at the trade deadline.
Amidst this harsh reality, Chris Johnston of The Athletic has put out his trade board, and lo and behold, Morgan Rielly is number 25 on the list.
Being ranked 25th means there is a low likelihood of the defenseman being dealt, although there is clearly a world in which something like this ends up happening.
In Johnston's mind, it is actually much more likely that defenseman Brandon Carlo is dealt. In fact, the defenseman ranked ninth on the list.
Brandon Carlo is on the trade block as well
The Carlo rumors have been piling up as of late, and as Johnston notes, Carlo is a defenseman who could give the Leafs a ton of assets in return.
Carlo is among a small handful of players who could bring the struggling Leafs back surplus value in a shakeup deal
Needless to say, the Maple Leafs have a lot of big decisions to make right now, and with the team struggling, it feels like a big shake-up is closer than ever before.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 20 | 568 ANSWERS Top insider confirms Morgan Rielly's place on the trade block Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade Morgan Rielly? | ||
| YES | 300 | 52.8 % |
| NO | 268 | 47.2 % |
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