For all of the flak Justin Holl takes, Morgan Rielly deserves some criticism for his brutal outing in Vegas
Morgan Rielly has just 5 assists through 7 games and Justin Holl is the only Leafs' defenseman to score a goal so far this season. Both have struggled at times, but Rielly has had a rough go the past couple of games. Holl's outing in Vegas was not a good one, but for the $7.5M that the Leafs are paying Morgan Rielly, nights like the one he had in comparison to his counterpart (Holl) at $2M, simply can't happen.
Last night against Vegas, Rielly was on the ice for just 5 shots for, but 14 against. On top of that, the Leafs were out-chanced in high-danger chances 8-3 with Rielly on the ice. Half of the games the Leafs have played so far this season, they have struggled with Rielly on the ice in terms of chances created and shots for AND against.
Rielly is doing his best to be an offensive catalyst but he doesn't seem to be getting the support or coverage defensively when he jumps up and joins the rush. He has also made some questionable reads that have led to goals against as well. For instance, the Golden Knights' first goal (that was called back) Rielly attempted to poke the puck forward and create an odd man rush while on penalty kill, only to result in a 2-on-1 that lead to Phil Kessel scoring.
More than anything else, it seems like he is trying to do too much, similar to the rest of the top line for the Leafs. Maybe Keefe needs to intervene and tell Rielly to keep it simple and focus on the fundamentals. Sometimes, simplifying your game and focusing on the fundamentals can actually lead to offensive improvements organically. When you're in position to make plays, that's when guys really tend to make a difference. In Rielly's case, he hasn't been playing sound positional hockey - and it's showing.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 25 | 162 ANSWERS For all of the flak Justin Holl takes, Morgan Rielly deserves some criticism for his brutal outing in Vegas How many points will Morgan Rielly finish the season with? | ||
| 40 or less | 52 | 32.1 % |
| 41-50 | 50 | 30.9 % |
| 51-60 | 38 | 23.5 % |
| More than 60 | 22 | 13.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
