Quoting: PleaseBanMeForMyOwnGood
I don't think he'll be getting a max deal by any stretch more like. 5-6 year deal and I doubt he makes much more than 6.5. it's a flat cap and that could hurt his pocket book, plus he wants to be a leaf more than people realize.
Krug got 7 x $6.5m in the Pandemic. Reilly can ask for 7 x $7m and that would still be considered a home-town discount. I realize he likely wants to retire a Leaf, and people say "he really want to stay" quite often about players leading up to contracts, but there are not too many examples of guys in their late 20s actually taking less $$ or term or both. It's way more likely he asks for and gets market value. It just happened last summer with Pietrangelo. Every team has a "Rielly" a great player that's been with a team for 8+ years, but you rarely see big discounts from those guys, because it's their one big chance to get paid.
If Rielly can pretty easily get $49M on his next contract, I really don't see why he'd just agree to take $39M ($6.5m x 6). There's no chance he ever recoups that $10M. Even a rich athlete doesn't really want to leave $10M on the table. Not too mention he's given the Leafs more than anyone already, why would he be the one
again to take less?
It's $10M, I doubt Rielly loves the team that much.
Also, the Pandemic squeezes the same guys that always get squeezed when there is less $$ to go around, the middle aged bottom pair, and bottom 6 guys. It won't hurt top pairing Dmen's pockets too much.