A Recent Revelation Should Put an End to the Morgan Rielly Debate

Morgan Rielly is one player in particular that has drawn criticism from the fanbase un Toronto for a few years now. His play has seemingly become inconsistent, he hasn't been as impactful as in previous years, and his contract is borderline immovable.

He is also the longest tenured Maple Leaf and has been part of the core since day 1. While he doesn't get the same level of fanfare as players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander, a recent statistic should put him back in the conversation.

In a surprising turn of events, Rielly leads the team in goals and shots over their past 5 playoff series with 8 goals and 19 points, respectively. Additionally, Rielly also led the group in goals and was 5th in points at even strength against Ottawa and Florida in 2025.

When it comes to offensive performers in that stretch, you'd expect Matthews, Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares to be carrying the torch instead of a defenseman.

Rielly is tied in goals with Nylander at 8, has 2 more than Matthews and Matthew Knies, and 3 more than Marner and Tavares. On the flip side, his 11 assists are tied with Marner and 3 more than Nylander and 2 more than Matthews.

Considering all the flack that Rielly has received over the years for not performing, showing up, or delivering when the team has needed it, he has a pretty good argument against that.

Perhaps because he's known as an offensive defenseman, generating points is somewhat expected, but he should definitely not be leading the charge with a former MVP in the midst, as well as 100-point players and 40+ goal scorers.

Maybe the conversation will shift a little heading into 2025-26 but there should be some solace in the fact that Rielly hasn't been nearly as bad as some of the conversations have alluded to.

Hopefully the veteran defenseman can continue this trend in 2026, but this time get the help he needs from players like Matthews and Nylander on a more consistent basis.