"Morgan Rielly has become the latest Toronto Maple Leafs lightning rod, with his play under intense scrutiny after being on the ice for all four goals against in a recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders. The latest defensive hiccup from the Leafs' longest-serving player made Rielly the target of familiar fan frustration, even as a more consequential issue lingers beneath the surface."
"A more important defenseman to Toronto's playoff hopes has spent most of the season unavailable due to injury, while Rielly's contract is being brought to the forefront with his underwhelming play. Free agent defenseman Chris Tanev was a key addition to the Leafs during the summer of 2024. Toronto signed the 36-year-old to a six-year deal for $27 million, an AAV of $4.5 million."
"The fear of the aging defenseman getting injured has come to fruition this season, the second of his six-year deal. Coming off a suspected concussion, Tanev was the victim of a fluke, blind-side hit by the Philadelphia Flyers' Matvei Michkov that resulted in an upper-body injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks. Then, after returning for only three games, the Leafs' defenseman was felled by a groin injury that will sideline him indefinitely."
Morgan Rielly was on the ice for all four goals against in a recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders, drawing intense fan criticism. Rielly joins a long line of prominent Maple Leafs who have faced intense scrutiny when expectations and results diverged. A more consequential defensive issue is the prolonged unavailability of Chris Tanev, Toronto’s most reliable defenseman in 2024-25. Toronto signed Tanev in summer 2024 to a six-year, $27 million deal carrying a $4.5 million AAV. Tanev has played only 11 games in 2025-26 after a suspected concussion from a blind-side hit by Matvei Michkov and a subsequent groin injury that will sideline him indefinitely.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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