Leafs' top D-man speaks up about current struggles, sends encouraging message through the media
Last season, when the Maple Leafs started off 4-4-2, the sky was falling in Leafs Nation, as you'll remember. Well, in the end, the Leafs posted 111 points on the season and finished 2nd in the Atlantic Division.
Similarly, the Leafs have started the 2023-24 campaign with a 5-4-2 record and are currently riding a 4-game losing skid. As a result, the concern is beginning to set in. The fanbase hasn't taken the lackluster start well and some have even begun to turn on the Leafs' newest members, such as Klingberg, Bertuzzi, Domi and Reaves. Some of their gripes with these players are entirely warranted. Other aspects, though, are being blown a bit out of proportion.
On Monday, ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Morgan Rielly met with the media and one of his primary messages that he wished to convey was that the season has just begun and the team is still very much ironing out the kinks and will begin to "right the ship" before long. From there, it's hopefully smooth sailing.
Rielly himself is off to a decent enough start this season, amassing 8 points (2G, 6A) in 11 games, despite being removed from the top power play unit in favour of John Klingberg, who has yet to really click with his new team.
Rielly has been through all of this with the Leafs before - multiple times, in fact. He has the luxury of knowing what's going on behind closed doors and how the Leafs are handling the early struggles both as a team and as an organization. He knows what messages are being sent from the coaching staff. He knows what the video team are isolating as the primary bugs that need to be fixed. He knows what each and every player in the locker room is doing to help pull the team out of its current funk.
A win tonight would go a long way in helping to right the ship, as Rielly stated. After tonight, the team still has 3 games on their current 5-game homestand. This is the perfect time to begin to get dialed in and build some good habits that they can continue to build on all season long. Above all else, Rielly not being concerned is a pretty good indication that the team has identified the issues. Now, it's about fixing the problems and working on their execution. They've done it before, they can do it again.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 6 | 327 ANSWERS Leafs' top D-man speaks up about current struggles, sends encouraging message through the media What is your level of concern with this Leafs team right now? | ||
| Very concerned. Lots to fix. | 138 | 42.2 % |
| Moderately concerned, but optimistic | 142 | 43.4 % |
| Not concerned at all. They'll be fine | 47 | 14.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
