May 16, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game six of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Facing questions about his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the team’s end-of-season media availability on Tuesday, the team’s longest-tenured player, Morgan Rielly, made it clear that he’s not thinking about leaving.
“That's not what I'm thinking about right now,” said Rielly, when asked directly if he’d consider a change of scenery following another disappointing playoff exit.
It’s a fair question given the circumstances.
Toronto’s 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff run ended in a familiar heartbreak, a 6-1 debacle on home ice in Game 7 of the second round to the Florida Panthers. A win would have secured their first Eastern Conference Final berth since 2002. Instead, it marked the Maple Leafs’ seventh consecutive Game 7 loss, with the club advancing to the second round for just the second time in nine years of its current core.
With continued underachievement, significant change this summer seems inevitable from top to bottom.
“There's always change. Every summer, every offseason is different,” said Rielly. “As a player, I think sometimes it's best not to speculate on what may or may not happen. So, for us, I mean for me individually, you want to focus on what you can do to come back a better version of yourself at the next training camp.”
As of now, the 31-year-old remains a cornerstone of the franchise, both in tenure and contract.
Drafted fifth overall in 2012, he’s been a mainstay on the Leafs’ blue line since the 2013-14 season. Over 873 regular-season games, Rielly has amassed 87 goals, 426 assists, and 513 points. He’s added another 47 points (15G, 32A) in 70 playoff games and has been a consistent producer on the backend in the postseason.
This spring, Rielly again led all Leafs defensemen in playoff scoring, registering four goals, three assists, and seven points in 13 games. The next closest defenders, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, finished with four points each.
But his regular season told a different story.
Rielly posted just 41 points (7G, 34A) in 82 games, the second time in three years he’s hit that number, despite an upgraded defensive corps around him for the first time in his career. Toronto had made a concerted effort to support their No.1 offensive defenseman this season, bringing in proven shutdown players like Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo to stabilize a group that had long lacked structure and support. While the pairings improved on paper, Rielly’s individual numbers took a dip.
Still, any notion of Rielly leaving Toronto remains contractually complicated.
He’s in the third year of an eight-year, $60 million contract signed in October 2021, carrying a $7.5 million cap hit. The deal includes a full no-movement clause through 2027-28, giving him complete control over his future. Starting in 2028-29, that protection shifts to a modified no-trade clause with a 10-team list.
However, that doesn’t stop the Leafs from asking him to waive the clause or approaching him with a proposition. But if Rielly doesn’t want to go, he won’t. And for now, he doesn’t sound remotely interested in starting over elsewhere.
As significant changes are still expected to be made around the ‘Core Four’ and front office, Rielly seems focused on getting better, finding his footing again, and coming back stronger in a Maple Leafs sweater.
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