Maple Leafs rumoured to trade Morgan Rielly after playoffs failure

Rielly, the longest tenured Leaf, has a deep emotional attachment to the team and its core. He hasn't been a scapegoat, and he was pretty darn good during the 2022-23 playoffs, but he simply isn't an all-situations horse who can shut down the other team's best players. That said, while he isn't an alpha No. 1 blueliner, he also isn't paid as one. At $7.5 million, he's merely the 23rd-richest defenseman in the league. He has a full no-movement clause and is under contract six more seasons. Unlike Marner and Tavares, Rielly didn't grow up in this market. He's a Western Canadian. Is there a chance he'd be willing to waive in the event of a trade simply for a fresh start for the second half of his career?

I don't want to stand here and try to tell you that we're on the doorstep of anything because we're sitting here today doing this. The belief is there that it's attainable, but there's work and improvement that has to take place. So, how close are we? I don't know, we'll see. It feels both attainable and a ways away and that's what drives you as an individual. That's what drives a team forward to either have success or we'll see.