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Toronto Maple Leafs: Morgan Rielly Poised To Enter His Prime

By Andrew Bottomley

Dec 29, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly (44) shoots the third period of the Leafs 6-3 loss to New York Islanders at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly (44) shoots the third period of the Leafs 6-3 loss to New York Islanders at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Midway through his third NHL season, Morgan Rielly is showing everyone that he’s ready to take the next step for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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When Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Morgan Rielly fifth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, some critics were surprised. Rielly was coming off a season only playing 18 games because of a torn ACL, and Bob McKenzie had him ranked eighth overall in TSN’s prospect rankings.

Nonetheless, Burke went ahead and took him in that fifth spot, and Leaf fans are set to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Rielly has steadily improved since he began his NHL career in 2013, and under head coach Mike Babcock he has flourished.

Each year Rielly has played, his time on ice has increased, on average, by more than two minutes per game. As of late, that number has increased even more. Over his last five games alone, Rielly has come just shy of the 25 minute mark twice, and only once has he played below his season average of 22:23.

Babcock has really started to lean on his young 21-year-old defenceman. Currently, Rielly is averaging the second most minutes played per game. Only Matt Hunwick (surprised?) has played more at 22:34. Yes, Rielly is averaging 23 seconds per game more than captain Dion Phaneuf.

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Jan 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) celebrates with defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

While playing short-handed this year, Rielly has already logged 115.2 minutes (2:09 per game) in 50 games played (GP). In comparison, in 81 GP last year he was on the ice short-handed for only 64.3 minutes (0:45 per game). That’s an extremely, large increase in workload for such a young player, a true testament to the faith Babcock has in him.

You might be thinking, well great, he’s on the ice more this year. What’s he doing with it?

I’m glad you asked. During his first two seasons he registered 27 and then 29 points, an average of 0.37 and 0.36 points per game (PPG) respectively. This year he is averaging 0.46 PPG. Not only is he getting more opportunities, but he’s making the best of them. While a rise of .1 PPG may not jump out of the page at you, it will when you consider other factors.

The impressive part of this increase in production is who he’s playing with. Last season, the top five scorers for the Leafs were: Phil Kessel (61), James van Riemsdyk (56), Tyler Bozak (49), Nazem Kadri (39), and Cody Franson (32). Of those five players, two of them no longer play for the team (Kessel and Franson) and van Riemsdyk has been injured for the last ten games.

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    • Rielly has been putting up more and more points with the likes of all-star Leo Komarov and P.A. Parenteau. Rielly’s play this year has him currently sitting sixth in points for the Leafs, who currently rank at 26 in scoring due to the lack of talent on the offensive side of the puck. Komarov leads the team with 33 points, currently ranked 81st in points on NHL.com. For reference, Patrick Kane leads the league with 75.

    It would be interesting to see where Rielly would be if the Leafs had some better scorers on their roster. If the Leafs had even one scorer in the top 20, heck even in the top 30, Rielly’s numbers would see a notable increase.

    Morgan Rielly is trending up in all the categories that he needs to be. Watching the young kid skate in game may the most telling of all the evidence available to us. He is carrying the puck with confidence, he’s not afraid to take it to the net, and when he does inevitably make a mistake, he fixes it, and rarely — if ever — makes it twice.

    Next: Maple Leafs: Why Trading James Reimer Would Be a Mistake

    Now I’m not sitting here saying that next season he breaks out with 78 points like Erik Karlsson did in 2011-2012. However, would I be surprised if he did? Absolutely not. Reilly has the pure raw talent to, and all indications are that he has the drive to as well. This kid works hard. He wants to be the guy, and as early as next season he may be that guy.

    **All stats as of February 6, 2016**

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