Toronto Maple Leafs star defenseman Morgan Rielly is at the center of a growing storm of criticism after a stretch of inconsistent play and defensive lapses, despite consistently heavy ice time under head coach Craig Berube.
This week, analyst Adam Wylde on the Steve Dangle Podcast suggested that Rielly’s role among Toronto’s top‑four defensemen should be re-evaluated. Wylde argued that despite Rielly’s long tenure and high profile with the team, recent performance issues particularly on the defensive side have undermined his effectiveness.
“If we’re looking at who in the top four is struggling the most, obviously, McCabe is fighting something, but I think defensively, it’s got to be Morgan Rielly. They continually put him out there in positions where I know he’s not going to succeed.”
Despite his struggles, Rielly continues to average over 21 minutes per game as one of Toronto’s heaviest-used defensemen. Wylde was direct about ice time insisting that his other teammates were more deserving of such heavy minutes.
“What we’re seeing is very clearly that Morgan Rielly should not be much more than the fourth in terms of time on ice on this team. It should be OEL, it should be McCabe, it should be Stecher. Morgan Rielly’s got to be fourth of four,” Wylde added.
He also addressed the context about Rielly’s contract:
“I know he makes seven and a half million dollars. That was a contract signed long ago by a GM who’s far, far away. I don’t care what he makes, not what he did when he signed the contract, and he was never great defensively.”
Rielly originally signed an eight‑year extension with Toronto in October 2021 agreeing to a $60 million deal that carries a $7.5 million average annual cap hit. The contract runs through the end of the 2029‑30 season at which point he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Morgan Rielly shouln’t be quarterbacking Toronto’s powerplay
Rielly’s performance on Toronto’s power play has also drawn criticism. This season, he has recorded five power-play points, all assists, and has yet to score a power-play goal.
What’s concerning is that the Leafs’ success rate with him on the man advantage sits around just 17%.
Analyst Adam Wylde specifically criticized the Leafs’ decision to have Morgan Rielly quarterback the power play. He argued that with players like Ekman‑Larsson producing more consistently, it’s questionable to have Rielly lead the unit.
“How is he quarterbacking the power play at this point? 34 points from OEL, and we’ve got Morgan Rielly, who cannot shoot. And so what does a team do? If Morgan Rielly’s on the point, I don’t need to cover him, I’ll cover all the other forwards. And if Rielly shoots, great… it’s a beach ball.”
Ekman‑Larsson has been among the Leafs’ top defense scorers this season while Rielly’s own numbers including six goals and 23 assists through 47 games speak of a mixed offensive contribution and a minus‑14 plus/minus rating.
Edited by Anjum Rajonno
