Proposal: Who do we move Morgan Rielly for?

[SeaOfBlue]

Our PP was horrific almost all season.

It was actually exceptionally good (40+% in January + February) for as long as it was horrific (sub 10% in March and April). He's been the PP QB on a PP that has been top 3-5 for years.

Sandin has only been PP QB on a PP that has been sub 10%, so if anything, your argument is just proving that Sandin is an incapable PP QB altogether.

 

[BayStBullies]

This franchise has literally learned nothing. How many more players must the Leafs trade and watch from afar to become good defenders elsewhere?

 

[barilko05]

The real issue isn't the speed of Rielly's shot. I think we can all agree it's a muffin. It's that he rarely shoots anyway, and when he does, it never gets through. Some guys just have a knack for that. Remember Cody Franson? A slug, mediocre defensively and hardly a howitzer from the point. But his shots always seemed to find a way to the net, which left lots of juicy rebounds for Phil and JVR to pounce on. The Leaf's PP setup of one guy on the point doesn't need an Al Macinnis bomb threat. It needs a guy who can thread the needle on a consistent basis. Right now, Mo just ain't that guy. Does Sandin have that flair? Time will tell.

 

[demonslayer]

It was actually exceptionally good (40+% in January + February) for as long as it was horrific (sub 10% in March and April). He's been the PP QB on a PP that has been top 3-5 for years.

Sandin has only been PP QB on a PP that has been sub 10%, so if anything, your argument is just proving that Sandin is an incapable PP QB altogether.

I think stonehands1990 was right do you even watch the games?

 

[Stonehands1990]

He is out there with either Tavares' line or Matthews' line the vast majority of the game. That means he is usually going up against the top unit or a second unit which is practically as good as the top unit. Sandin is rarely, if ever, purposefully going out against those units.

Muzzin & Holl take the top lines, Rielly & Brodie takes 2nd lines. Most teams 2nd lines aren’t as good as their 1st. The Leafs having Nylander & Tavares on the 2nd line is an anomaly.
Also Tavares & Nylander usually play sheltered offensive minutes so that defeats your point

 

[nuck]

His prime was 2 years ago. The most realistic path for him, as a player extremely dependant on his athletic abilities rather than smarts, is 2-3 years of solid play and then decline.

I am not sure he doesn't have a couple of peak seasons left but I think that is likely to be high 50s rather than 70pts. He is a fantastic skater so the athletic ability is likely to hang around a while.

But, he won't be be looking at less than 7 years and will be expecting some NM protection if he takes a remotely club friendly AAV so re-signing him keeps him around until age 35-36. If you think Sandin is for real then he would replace Muzzin in the top 4 which is a little different look, and you move Muzz out to help accommodate Rielly's new deal. Now the Rielly deal will overlap with the resigning of the big 3 so they will have just a couple years of breathing room from the flat cap and then they are back into the vise.

If the Leafs have a run to the finals they probably keep the band together and Rielly will not be moved. I am not sure just getting out of the North has that effect. They have done a great job of stretching the money to fill in the gaps but the Hyman deal will put more pressure on them and they only have Campbell cheap for one more year so they will need a few million more for goaltending. I don't think they can afford to keep Rielly but how precious is he to KD?

I would move Rielly for the best group of assets I could get from another club with a goal to cut salary and maybe look at bringing in Giordano with salary retention by either the Flames or the Kraken depending who owns him after the X draft. If they win the Cup or at least make it 6 games into the final I would probably find a way to keep him and then things don't hit the fan until they need to resign Campbell. He has looked solid this playoff but the Habs aren't last years Bruins and you can only spend so much to keep a group together that hasn't won anything.

 

[The Apologist]

Our PP was horrific almost all season.

So you didn't start watching the Leafs until February that makes sense now. Have a good day

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Really? Sandin replacing Mo seems like the most realistic scenario. I think Sandin has all of the tools to be a #1.

edit: always been a Mo supporter.

Barring taking huge leaps and bounds in a short period of time, he won't be a #1 by the time we'd need to replace Rielly (after next year).

His timeline is more in line with replacing Muzzin and then perhaps replacing Rielly once Rielly hits his mid-30's and Sandin is in his prime.

So I guess the more accurate claim would be that he is not replacing Rielly for a while.

 

[Sypher04]

Yeah we are it's the difference between going deep to f***ing it all up.

Trading Rielly and thrusting an unproven Sandin into minutes he's never played at this level is asking for trouble. This team is inside a contention window, they need more evidence Sandin can fill the role than what they have, because if they move Rielly, and Sandin struggles playing big minutes and a key role, it could jeopardize the entire program.

If Rielly prices himself out of Toronto, we are having a different discussion, but there's no evidence yet that will happen

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I think stonehands1990 was right do you even watch the games?

Neither of you have the credibility to ask that question. In fact, both of you saying this is quite ironic.

 

[Griffin76]

Mo has been so damn good these 1st 2 gms.

Elite.

Yeah but Sandin had a good game in game 2. Rielly is now expendable. Isn't that how it works around here?

 

[demonslayer]

So you didn't start watching the Leafs until February that makes sense now have a good day

You realize the season started mid January right?

 

[SeaOfBlue]

If Rielly prices himself out of Toronto, we are having a different discussion, but there's no evidence yet that will happen

Even if it does, that doesn't mean Sandin suddenly becomes option #1 to replace him. There are a ton of UFA's in Rielly's crop that are high quality. Not enough money to go around for all of them to get huge pay days, so one will make sense for our budget.

 

[Once]

Barring taking huge leaps and bounds in a short period of time, he won't be a #1 by the time we'd need to replace Rielly (after next year).

His timeline is more in line with replacing Muzzin and then perhaps replacing Rielly once Rielly hits his mid-30's and Sandin is in his prime.

So I guess the more accurate claim would be that he is not replacing Rielly for a while.

I came to that realization after posting - he likely replaces Muzzin instead. I just hope Rielly takes a sweetheart deal.

 

[The Apologist]

You realize the season started mid January right?

You realize the Leafs have existed prior to this season right?

 

[Stonehands1990]

It was actually exceptionally good (40+% in January + February) for as long as it was horrific (sub 10% in March and April). He's been the PP QB on a PP that has been top 3-5 for years.

Sandin has only been PP QB on a PP that has been sub 10%, so if anything, your argument is just proving that Sandin is an incapable PP QB altogether.

Analyzing the Maple Leafs' slumping power play and how they can fix it

Our PP was at 31.7% before the slump. Never hit 40%

 

[Hclass47]

He's just entering his prime and if anything this past season made him MORE affordable. The Leafs certainly can keep him.

A conversation has to be had, if he wants to stay expect him to take a bit of a discount (compared to the open market - due to both cap reasons and this past season’s performance) with the understanding he may not be on the first pp unit. If he can accept that resign him. If not move him for assets. Preferably a package including a first and top offensive d prospect

 

[The Apologist]

A conversation has to be had, if he wants to stay expect him to take a bit of a discount (compared to the open market - due to both cap reasons and this past season’s performance) with the understanding he may not be on the first pp unit. If he can accept that resign him. If not move him for assets. Preferably a package including a first and top offensive d prospect

I don't disagree you need to feel out his position. I do disagree that we would get anything at all that would help is during our current window. Not sure who your think fills Riellys minutes either.

 

[demonslayer]

People are being so unreasonable about possibly moving him treating him as if he's some untouchable god like defensemen like prime Chara or Pronger

 

[Stonehands1990]

Also the summer that Rielly hits UFA Campbell hits UFA and Sandin/Liljegren are RFAs

 

[The Apologist]

Analyzing the Maple Leafs' slumping power play and how they can fix it

Our PP was at 31.7% before the slump. Never hit 40%

Define never. It was over 40% until game 12.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I came to that realization after posting - he likely replaces Muzzin instead. I just hope Rielly takes a sweetheart deal.

Even if he takes market, he is likely not getting more than 6.5 mill on a 7 year deal (which is what Krug and Faulk received by St. Louis) from anyone.

 

[The Apologist]

People are being so unreasonable about possibly moving him treating him as if he's some untouchable god like defensemen like prime Chara or Pronger

Or maybe it's just not a good idea when You're in the middle of a cup run window?

 

[Stonehands1990]

Define never. It was over 40% until game 12.

Source?

 

[The Apologist]

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