TheProspector
Registered User
He had a horrible December 5 to January 4 stretch where he was a -11 with 2 points but from January 7th on he was a +8 with 6 points while the club was under .500. He could have played better but I am not sure how much more they can expect out of a third pairing guy. He may well have another gear after being away from the show for four years and then being dropped into the Randy system.
I want him on the club until someone takes the job from him. I think that can only happen side by side with Granberg or Percy where they can prove they are an actual improvement. Handing a job to a young guy like Rielly did not translate into any additional wins although it was probably good for his development. They need to select a lineup that can win today rather than needlessly burning a year of a kids ELC and I would be very happy if no Marlie D men were invited up. Someone mentioned Holzer as a #7 guy and that would be the enough for me since another year in the AHL isn't likely to be a development one for him.
I agree with all of this. Though I probably have a lower barrier to proof than you do.
Morgan Rielly did not belong on the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. He was a trainwreck defensively. John-Michael Liles was a much, much better defenceman both offensively and defensively, and he should never have been traded to make room for Mo Riles if our objective was to win games. All while Rielly had the weakest competition of any defenseman, and by far the least defensive zone starts.