I can live with reilly at FWD

Rielly has succeeded all season. Man Leaf fans are the worst.

When you're a defenseman, the definition of success doesn't revolve around getting secondary assists by giving the puck to Matthews/Marner. Man, people who make hockey takes based on point production versus actual play are the worst.

Touché

I think Rielly should be tried at forward. But what does the d-core look like after that? I’m not sure it’s great.
To be fair, I guess it can’t be any worse defensively lmao.

If Rielly works at forward, I think they go out get a good defensive LD in the off-season.

That is not at all the take I am making. Some fans look to reinforce their bias. Rielly does what he does because he's one of the best in the world at it. He creates offence. He pinches and he skates hard all over the ice. Sometimes it results in a chance against. He is plus 15 on the season. He plays tough minutes and he tilts the ice in his team's favor. However, the same people will every game wait for a mistake and only see that. "That was a bad pinch and it cost us a chance against, Rielly is terrible!" Except Chuck was supposed to be the high forward covering and he blew his position. "Doesn't matter it's rielly's fault and chuck is great!". Points aren't everything, success is everything, playing your role is everything and making the team better is everything. Rielly is a huge part of this team's success.

It absolutely can be worse defensively. Most teams are worse defensively. Like 2/3rds of the NHL. Do people even watch the games?

Is the team worse without Rielly in the lineup? Yes. The main thing that I have learned about this team in the last two seasons is that they really don't need offense from their defense. They need defensemen that can defend in their own end and make simple outlet passes to forwards to start the puck up the ice. The pinching point is mute, pinching is a coaching decision, not a player's. If you give the D the green light to pinch, you need a high forward, if the pinch is unsuccessful and there is no high forward that is on the forwards. All of the Leafs D pinch 90% of the time. That is their system until they have a lead late in the game.

Rielly's defensive blunders are far deeper than pinches without proper coverage. His defensive zone coverage leaves a lot to be desired and he often has costly turnovers. While watching for defensive blunders, I am always watching for positive defensive plays. Shutting down an odd man rush, active stick through the passing lanes, taking sticks in front of the net, clearing bodies to open vision lanes for the goalie. Rielly fails to provide much value in any of these categories. The only time I ever find myself impressed with his defensive play would be a successful backcheck.

Is it super unrealistic that they move him to forward? Yes. Would he provide all of the same offensive upside and then some on forward? Yes. Would we be ridden on his defensive blunders with him at forward? Yes. Would it be fun to try? Absolutely.

Rielly is a great straight-line skater with average vision, shot and below average defensive abilities. He is a big body and hardworker, his traits would translate perfectly to another North-South forechecking/puck retrieval power forward like Hyman

You just don't have a clue on Rielly. Much smarter hockey people says he's elite. I'll take Keefe and Dubas's opinion over yours

What are you even doing on this site if you are just going to say I am going to stick with what the coach and GM are currently doing haha

The classic "I'm in over my head - you're just wrong because".

Thoughtful and insightful. Well done. One would think that after 20,000 posts on this site you could bring a little more analysis to the table but I guess you just don't know enough about the game to weigh in. Thanks for your time, I hope you pick the right opponent with your next weak take

There is nothing insightful about anything you have to say about Rielly. He's an elite player and fans like you just sewer him because you always need to **** on someone.

No wonder you think the Leafs D is top third in the league. Rielly is 3rd best defenceman on the team, so I guess that means that 50% of the Leafs D are elite or better lol

Being an above-average skater and puck carrier doesn't make a player elite. Rielly is not elite and when a team pays him 8+ million after next year I am going to laugh, he'll be on the same post-leafs trajectory as Gardiner currently is.

They literally are top 3rd in the league. He's plus 14 on the season and plays 20+ minutes a night and the team is 12th in GA/G. That is literally right at top 3rd. And that has been with our one of our top 2 goalies being hurt for essentially the whole season. You see why your insight is garbage?

The Leafs have 4 D averaging 20+ min a night, they are first in the division and barely have any minus players? Quit acting like Oprah, "you get an elite badge, and you get an elite badge, oh and you too"

Explain this to me about Rielly, he rarely kills penalties because he isn't good enough defensively. His PP QBing is literally causing the PP woes, he can gain the zone but can't move the puck around quick or smart enough to make a strong play, his shot isn't scaring anyone. Leafs could benefit tremendously from having a true puck-moving offensive Dman on PP1 (which we will see in the near future with Sandin). So all of a sudden we have an "elite" Dman who we don't want killing penalties or being on PP1? Something doesn't add up here.

Please just put your team stats aside, sit down, watch Rielly in every shift of tomorrow night's game and try to find even 3 good defensive plays he makes during the game. Count his blunders and his offensive prowess plays, weigh them against each other and then ask yourself if the net difference of that mess equals elite lol

How many coaching jobs in the NHL have you had. Just a sit at home fan who plays too much Chel and reads opinions on here to form an expert opinion. You have no idea what you are talking about. Play some hockey, learn the game and then talk.

And he reverts to the "Damn he got me again so I'll hit him with the you have no idea what you are talking about because he has gone way over my head"

The only thing you have accomplished here is proving you don't know anything about hockey. You likely don't even know how to skate and it is laughable. I have never seen such confidence and investment in a subject with such little knowledge. You have brought absolutely nothing to the table that has shown you have even a basic knowledge of the game. I feel bad but I'm bored of arguing with you because your only argument is "No, you don't know" - no good reason. To think that someone with such low intelligence surrounding the game would tell me to learn the game is comical though, so thanks for a hair of entertainment on that front.

Have you seen anyone on here propose Reilly at wing? Have you seen anyone with the same insights and explanations that I have? Have I seen anyone on here disagree with others with no supporting evidence or even the ability to argue why? Yep. Take a look in the mirror and re-evaluate yourself pal. I would tell you to try to be creative and form your own opinions, analysis, and takes on the game but I guess if you don't even have a basic level of hockey understanding, that is impossible. Keep researching, keep posting, maybe by 50k you'll know something?

You literally haven't said anything that is at all correct. Just the usual nonsense that trolls on here say. Rielly is a terrific defenceman, anyone who says otherwise is just a contrarian idiot. You can write longer paragraphs all you want but they are completely wrong. Rielly isn't the best defensive defenceman in the league, that is known. However he is far above average and what he can do with the puck puts him in elite status. Most of his "flaws" are generally what he is told to do and just the nature of being what he is which is a riskier offensive player. There are very few defenceman who can take over a game like he can.

With that said, even when he does take over a game, there will always be super arrogant fans like you waiting for the chance to say, "see! That pinch right there was a mistake and it cost us a chance against". Or a bouncing puck will hop over his stick and "see that's a give away in the defensive zone!".

Guys like you do the same to Nylander, he could have 10 high danger chances and 3 points but one give away that led to a goal against in a win is all you'll see. Why? Because you have nothing better to do but **** about something so you spend all your time looking for a reason to crap on someone instead of enjoying the good things that are happening. The weirdest part is how you guys also seem to miss the real problem players on the team for the dumbest reasons as well.

I'd wager you were a guy who thought Kapanen should have been kept because he got in a fight once. That despite him being absolutely the worst defensive forward on the Leafs. But your eye test tells a different story right?

Do you actually believe Rielly is an Elite defenceman? I don't disagree that his offensive game is elite, however, his defensive game is sub-par. As MapleLeafs97 mentioned above, Toronto does not need help with offence, they need defense. Morgan Rielly has shown time after time not only this season, but throughout his career he can not be a top defenseman against the best in the league. What did McDavid do to him last year? If you want to talk elite all around defenceman, go look at Hedman, Josi, Doughty, Seth Jones. Those guys can get you offence night in and night out, while shutting down the other teams top line. Morgan Rielly would have trouble matching up against marlies top line.
TL;DR Get your head out of Rielly's @$$... Dion Phaneuf was better than him.

ayyyy, we have finally received some real "hockey insight". This is great, something I can actually appreciate, you have come up with some opinions and some great assumptions! I'll start from the beginning. 1. Reilly is not a terrific defenseman, he is above average. (Point of the OG post is that he could probably be a good forward - upgrade). 2. This is the best line here "What he can do with the puck puts him in elite status" what on earth are you referring to here? His stickhandling? Below average. His passing? Average. Please, if you are going to praise the player at least get his strengths right - he is an excellent straight-line skater and really strong in transition. He is a strong neutral zone puck carrier, great with zone entries. That's it, that's the list. 3. You know what would be a great position for a risky offensive player? Forward. His flaws are not because of "what he is told to do" that is delusional. 4. Morgan Reilly has not taken over a game this year, and he will not this year. He is not that good. If you want to watch what it looks like when a defenseman to takes over a game, go watch Cale Makar play. That is an elite defenseman, with game-breaking skill.

5. I already talked about the pinches, see above. 6. I am a Leaf fan, if the puck bounced over his stick that would be unlucky - I would be the first to acknowledge it. 7. Love Nylander, always have. Another great puck carrier, who is an elite skater. However, he will shy away the tougher the opposition gets in playoffs and can be lazy from time to time. Hard to think of many other players in the league with that much natural talent though. 8. Don't generalize me and my opinions, you know as much about me as you do Morgan Rielly (not a lot). 9. I have only have posted one other armchair GM and I traded away Kapanen - big swing, big miss. Very fitting with your opinions and analysis. I now understand why you didn't elaborate before - yikes.

This is what's wrong with this site and fanbase. "Remember that one time the best player in the world did what only he can do and embarrassed Rielly who was playing hurt?" Nothing else matters just that one time. He played a pile of minutes against McDavid this season and the Leafs shut him out in a 3 game series. But that doesn't matter because your opinion is set and you will look for anything to reinforce it. This is absolutely proving my point.

You're not worth my time. Anyone who is anyone will say Rielly has elite hockey IQ and skills. But some clown on the internet has the opinion he's below average so let's make him a forward. You are just not worth talking to. You are the segment of the fanbase that is embarrassing. The super homers at least are endlessly enthusiastic but the everything sucks crowd and everyone's other players are better are the worst. Just cheer for a different team or at least shut up about how much you think Leaf players suck. Go chat with Habs fans about it.

HOW ABOUT THAT ELITE DEFENSIVE ZONE COVERAGE BY YOUR BOYFRIEND MORGAN RIELLY? what a ****ing bum.

Typical, Galchenyuk blows his assignment and Rielly gets blamed

"Anyone who is anyone will say Reilly has elite hockey IQ and skills" I would love to see an article about Rielly in the history of ever that suggests either of those things, they have never been true and never will be true. You are the worst part of this fanbase, the delusional, super-biased - "my player can't have a single flaw because he has a blue and white jersey on" type. I am a realist, I have broken down Rielly's game based on what he is good at and what he isn't and made a hypothetical position swap on a website that is literally designed for such endeavors and you are here to cry about it. Wake up and smell the coffee, it's a great time to be a leaf's fan. They have some elite talent, they have some very good players, good players, and average players. If they were all elite we could all go bet our bank accounts that they will win the cup. Unfortunately, they're not. I just really don't get your stance here defending a player's "elite status" and crying about a part of the fanbase that is willing to accept their favourite team isn't perfect.

Did you notice in that game that Rielly never killed a penalty again? Did you also notice him get switched for Sandin on PP1 after a few offensive blunders? Two things I suggested would happen even before the game, it's not rocket science, it's hockey and Rielly isn't elite, or else he would be locked into both of those roles like the other elite D in the league.

Anyways, just to remind you that I'm not here to just **** on my favourite team?? Thought I'd like to point out that, that was one of Rielly's best games in a long time and probably the team's best game in about a month.

You're an idiot