Maple Leafs Urged to Move on From $60 Million Star Defenseman

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be a team to watch in the offseason as they have several key free agents, but one analyst thinks they should look to make a trade.

NHL analyst Stephen Nixon of EditorinLeaf believes the Maple Leafs should move on from Morgan Rielly. The star defenseman has been a key member of Toronto’s roster for years. But, he has struggled this year, so Nixon thinks it would be wise for the Maple Leafs to move on from him.

“Despite having three years left on his deal, I think there’s a world where Morgan Rielly is no longer a member of the Leafs next year, and here’s why,” Nixon wrote. “The Leafs defense is set up nicely and Rielly’s $7.5M contract could be utilized a lot better.

There will be multiple teams lining up for Rielly’s services. By trading him, it would free up a ton of cash to find a real top-pairing defenseman, legitimizing the team’s core,” Nixon added. “Brandon Carlo, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe make up a nice top-four. But, the Leafs could use a younger and more higher-end player at the top of their blue line.”