Toronto Maple Leafs: Should they consider trading Morgan Rielly?

Rielly trade would only work if they can get Pietrangelo

Rielly has been a staple on the Leafs blue line for the better part of the last decade, but sometimes a team needs a shakeup and this might be something that would work for them.

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They have young defensemen in their system that would benefit from added responsibilities and the prospect of creating cap space to sign Pietrangelo while keeping their forward core intact is too much to pass on in my opinion.

When it’s all said and done, we would essentially be looking at a transaction that sees Rielly being moved to bring in a better defenceman along with picks and or prospects. To me, that’s a scenario that the Leafs can’t lose in. It’s always hard to see a long time Maple Leafs player leave the franchise, but at the end of the day, hockey is a business.

It also can’t be ignored that Rielly’s contract will be a tough one to sort out if the salary cap doesn’t increase especially if he is looking to get a significant pay increase.

If I’m Kyle Dubas, I’d be looking at this as a legitimate option if they’re serious about Pietrangelo.

Do you think moving Rielly would help the Leafs? Should it be something the team considers given the return he could bring and the cap space it could open up to make other moves? Let us know in the comments below.