Morgan Rielly snubbed by the NHL Network and one former Maple Leaf agrees with the decision

Morgan Rielly's name was omitted from the NHL Network's top-20 NHL defensemen and one former Maple Leaf revealed why he agrees with Rielly's exclusion from the list.

On Wednesday, the NHL Network revealed who they have ranked inside of the top-20 defensemen in the National Hockey League. Leafs Nation has taken exception to the list due to names like Mattias Ekholm and Zach Werenski being included over the likes of top Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly.

We all know that lists like this are entirely subjective, so I don't know how bothered we should actually be by the NHL Network's decision to omit Rielly's name. TSN's Mike Johnson tends to agree.

During a segment on TSN 1050's "First Up" on Thursday morning, Johnson actually supported the NHL Network's decision to leave Rielly on the outside looking in. He explained why on the program.

I suppose this is a fair assessment, but Rielly is still fairly underrated, in my opinion. He plays big minutes in all situations and has largely been miscast for a lot of years in the absence of a star-studded blueline in Toronto. The Leafs have never really given Rielly much to work with, until this season.

The addition of Chris Tanev may end up being extremely beneficial for Rielly. Now that he's paired with an excellent puck-mover and a defensive stalwart, Rielly will be free to play to his strengths, likely with a slight reduction in the tougher minutes, which could ultimately lead to a breakout season.

However, in terms of Johnson's overall assessment of Rielly's game, nobody doubts the elite offensive presence. Not many will deny that Rielly leaves a little to be desired in the defensive zone, so in that sense, Johnson may be right on the money.

Source: HockeyDBMorgan Rielly player profile

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