Going into the 2023-24 season, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was tasked with taking on tougher minutes while passing the top powerplay quarterback torch to John Klingberg. Some players would scoff at this, but Rielly, a true leader, was willing to do whatever it took to help the team.
Fast forward three months into the season, Klingberg is on the shelf for the remainder of the season forcing Rielly back in his usual spot as top quarterback on the powerplay, but has also continued to draw the toughest assignments night in and night out.
The 29-year-old has scored 4 goals and 22 points in 29 games. His minutes are up a full three minutes climbing from 21:42 to 24:42. An impressive feat on its own, but when you factor in that he hasn't taken a single minor penalty, it's a truly remarkable feat.
Rielly, in over 716 minutes played so far, has registered 26 hits, 65 blocks, and 11 takeaways without so much as earning a single high-sticking penalty, trip, hook, rough or interference call. That's not only a testament to how he plays the game, but it's truly impressive. Rielly does not shy away from the physical play, and will drop the gloves if need be. It's not his primary function, but we've seen him do just that on a number of occasions both in the regular season and in the playoffs.
Rielly is not often looked at in the same light as other #1 defensemen in the league, like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, Roman Josi and other names of their ilk. However, Rielly, to his team, is every bit as important as every single one of these players. His leadership, his experience, his commitment and his play on the ice are all exemplary. It's long past time that he got a little bit more recognition.
