Morgan Rielly's Role Expected to Change in a Big Way This Season

The former 5th overall pick (2012) has played huge minutes in many situations for the Leafs over the course of his career, some of which he hasn't been the most suited for. The offensive defenseman has seen lots of time on the penalty kill, defending leads late in the game, and has had a revolving door of defense partners over the years. Who else remembers stalwarts like Ron Hainsey and Matt Hunwick? It's been a long time.

With Toronto's acquisitions in free agency, it looks like that status quo is finally about to change.

At last, the Toronto Maple Leafs have other players who can play those difficult shutdown minutes and share the load. Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe and Jani Hakanpaa (if he plays) will all be available to penalty kill and hold leads against the opposing team's toughest match ups.

This change helps the Leafs offensively as well, freeing Rielly to play to his strengths by skating with the puck and making plays with the forwards, which is more up his alley. It also allows him more minutes against easier competition. Expect him to have a more productive season offensively because of that fact.

When the playoffs start again, having your best skating and puck-moving defenseman playing with less wear and tear is a huge help.

Rielly's best season came back in 2018-19, when he produced a whopping 20 goals and 72 points in 82 games. If his role changes as expected, he may very well challenge these totals in 2024-25.

Source for Rielly's stats: NHL.com
Morgan Rielly stats and bio