TORONTO — Morgan Rielly needed some gentle convincing before he agreed to wear an extra piece of equipment for Wednesday’s prime-time showdown versus the Colorado Avalanche, a heavyweight tilt broadcast nationally on both sides of the border.
U.S. rights holder TNT requested the Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 defenceman be affixed with a microphone that would catch all his gut reactions and provide viewers with a sampling of heat-of-the-battle banter.
Teammate Auston Matthews, a star more amenable to the limelight, had worn the mic on a couple of occasions.
Was Rielly as easily sold on the idea?
“There was a little bit of negotiating,” Rielly smiled post-game.
“Not something I think anyone really enjoys — unless you like the spotlight. But it’s a good thing to do. We’re all trying to grow the game. So, if that’s conducive to that, then it’s all good.”
Rielly, as ever, took one for the team.
The longest-tenured Maple Leaf is a unique personality.
He wields a wicked sense of humour, as smooth as his stride and as dry as his franchise’s second-round drought.
At times, behind closed doors, he can be downright silly and loud. He’s a loyal leader, and he arguably cares about team success more than anyone else who pulls on the sweater.
The catch, of course, is that for the Maple Leafs to thrive, their top minutes-muncher on the blue line needs to personally excel.
And that, frankly, has not happened frequently enough through Toronto’s first 67 games.
For years, Rielly’s time in the spotlight has only been positive.
There was the 20-goal, 72-point explosion in 2018-19, when Rielly finished top-five in both Norris and Lady Byng voting.
There was a grassroots campaign among a vocal corner of Leafs Nation for Rielly — and not John Tavares or Matthews — to be anointed with the captaincy in 2019-20.
And there was his stellar response in 2021-22, when he erupted for 68 points, chipped in on both special teams, tilted the ice to the tune of plus-16, and again appeared on Norris ballots after inking his seven-year, $60-million contract extension.
Reilly took care of his personal business quietly and quickly, avoiding the stress and circus that ramps toward unrestricted free agency.
No, Rielly has never craved the spotlight the way he yearns for a deep spring run.
Yet this winter, his first as a player whose contributions haven’t far exceeded his cap hit, Rielly has been at the centre of attention for reasons less than desirable.
The eye test and the hockey math concur: Rielly has performed at a standard below the one set by the coach, the fans, and, most important, himself.
Among Maple Leafs regulars, he’s the only minus defender on club with a plus-46 goal differential. Rielly’s minus-3 rating marks his first time in the red in five seasons.
His ice time (22:08) has also dipped to a five-year low, and his shooting percentage (2.9) a three-year low.
Rielly’s takeaway-to-giveaway ratio is an unsettling 16-52, and he’s being deployed less frequently in the defensive zone.
On the Leafs most recent road trip, coach Sheldon Keefe said Rielly had another level to reach.
Fans have been less kind.
Like Jake Gardiner and Dion Phaneuf before him, Rielly has been trending for the warts they see in his defensive game rather than the positives he can inject.
There are plenty of reasons one could use to explain Rielly’s down year: a late-November knee injury, the pressure of living up to his first whopping payday, a near-comical lack of consistency with his D partners, the snowballing lack of confidence that comes with a three-month goal drought….
Rielly himself doesn’t lean on any of these as excuses publicly. That’s not his style. But it’s clear that the athlete wants to make more of a positive impact.
Which is why mic’d-up Morgan was so refreshing Wednesday — not for his words but for his deeds.
We saw a glimpse (a promise?) of vintage Rielly, breaking up Colorado’s 2-on-1s and leaping into the rush with purpose. He was a threat on the fun side of the rink and not a liability on the serious end.
Rielly popped into Toronto’s first burst and rang a puck high off the crossbar. Undeterred, he spotted a seam in the second rush and snapped the night’s lone 5-on-5 goal low-corner.
“Terrific start for him,” Keefe praised of the only D-man to see 20 minutes.
“Not sure what you can really attribute it to, but that’s what we need to see from Morgan in terms of jumping into those holes, kind of being that guy off the puck that can be a threat for us offensively. I thought that he played hard and defended well.”
For the Maple Leafs to finally thrive in the postseason, this is the Rielly that needs to show up.
He will never be Victor Hedman or Cale Makar.
But, used properly and feeling free, Rielly can once again be the speedy workhorse whose game excels when it matters. The defenceman who has produced seven goals and 25 points through 39 career playoff games, fuels a power-play crying out for a hot series, and is on for more goal celebrations than hung heads.
“For sure,” Rielly says, his performance Wednesday is something he can build off.
Then he is quick to deflect from the me to the we.
“I think we’re all trying to push for more and get better. This is an important time of year. We’re all trying to find that next level.”
True. But few Leafs need to hit that level than Morgan Rielly.
One-Timers: Luke Schenn will make his home debut (again) for the Leafs Friday versus Carolina…. Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray will split starts during this weekend’s back-to-back against the Hurricanes and Senators…. The Leafs plan to dress 11/7 Friday and revert to 12/6 Saturday…. Mitch Marner (29:10) and Auston Matthews (26:52) skated season highs in Wednesday’s OT loss and needed to take Thursday’s practice off for rest. “If you’re a player, you want to get on,” Keefe said…. The stumbling Lightning sit three points back of the Leafs in the race for home ice. Toronto holds a game in hand…. With Andrei Svechnikov’s suffering his season-ending injury, Jesse Puljujarvi has been promoted to Carolina’s top line…. The Maple Leafs will wear their spectacular green St. Pat’s getups on March 17, as they should.
