"Speaking to media after the game, head coach Craig Berube acknowledged Rielly's recent struggles, but said he has faith in the veteran to get back on track. "Tonight was a tough one," Berube said, per The Hockey News' David Alter. "I know that, but he's played some really good hockey for us this year. I'm not worried about it. I think he'll get back to the level he was at. I do believe that. That's kind of where I'm at with it.""
"Heading into this season, expectations were high on Rielly to elevate his game following a down year. In September, Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving shared that he had "a real honest chat" with Rielly following last season about playing to the level he's capable of and Treliving said it was something Rielly "took to heart," adding that what followed was a busy summer of training to push his game even further."
"Rielly started off the season looking stronger offensively, and while he's still on pace for 53 points this year, he has just four assists in last 12 games. And that's to say nothing of his poor defensive performances as of late. Over the last six games, the Leafs boast a +8 goal differential, but Rielly is at -8 over that same stretch."
Morgan Rielly has produced several recent poor defensive showings, including a -4 rating in a 4-3 overtime loss while logging 27:31 of ice time. Head coach Craig Berube acknowledged the tough outing but expressed confidence that Rielly will return to prior levels after earlier strong play. Expectations rose after a candid conversation with general manager Brad Treliving and a busy summer of training. Offensively Rielly remains on pace for roughly 53 points but has just four assists in his last 12 games. Over the past six games he sits at -8 while the team is +8. He is in the fourth year of an eight-year contract with a $7.5 million annual cap hit and is locked in until age 36. Trade speculation has surfaced at times given his contract size and tenure.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]