Shortly after the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in May, Morgan Rielly and general manager Brad Treliving sat down to review the year.
It wasn’t the easiest of seasons for Rielly, who happened to struggle for the majority of the year. You could catch glimpses where he lacked confidence, which then leaked into his offensive game — the area that makes Rielly such an effective player on Toronto’s back-end.
The 31-year-old and his wife, Tessa Virtue, welcomed their son, McCormick, towards the end of last summer. Rielly definitely wouldn’t admit it if he were asked — and he wouldn’t use it as an excuse either — but the lack of sleep likely took a toll on his performance to a degree.
Rielly lacked consistency, too, and that could be from a number of things. He wasn’t on the Maple Leafs’ top power play unit because Craig Berube opted for a five-forward unit instead.
Rielly finished the season with seven goals and 41 points in 82 games. One goal and 13 assists came on the power play last year, down from 19 helpers the previous season. He also didn’t have as much five-on-five production, and sometimes when you get into a rut like that, you begin to struggle mentally.
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As the season wore on, Rielly’s game returned but not to the level he’d like. So, when he walked into Treliving’s office in May after being ousted from the playoffs, the two had what was likely a difficult — but very important — conversation.
“Morgan and I had a real good chat at the end of the year and a real honest chat about where his year was at, what I think he’s capable of, what he’s capable of. I’ll just say it’s something he took to heart,” Treliving said on Wednesday.
“I don’t know if there was many days that he wasn’t in this facility about a week out after the end of the season. Real proud of the summer he’s put in, and he’s taking it to heart. He’s a big piece for us. Getting Morgan Rielly back to the level that we know he’s capable of will have an impact on our team.”
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If there’s anything Maple Leafs fans know about Rielly, it’s that he cares about being a Maple Leaf. Not only was he drafted into this organization, but he’s stuck around through all the difficult moments.
Rielly wasn’t on the team during the 2013 collapse to the Boston Bruins. He was in the organization, though. There were the six straight first-round losses after that, and Rielly remained.
He could’ve said enough with this and thrown in the towel, yet he didn’t. Even after a disastrous loss to the Panthers in the spring, the defenseman used the entire summer to work on bettering himself.
For his own growth, and for the team’s gain too.
"Morgan Rielly's been buzzing in those skates," new teammate Nicolas Roy said earlier this week. "I wasn't there before. I've seen him, played against him, but he's in really good shape.”
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When Rielly was asked about his conversation with Treliving at the team’s media day on Wednesday, the defenseman gave an honest answer. He had to take a look in the mirror this summer and figure out why he struggled last season.
“ I did a lot of reflecting over the course of the last year and during the off-season. Had some healthy but challenging conversations with a number of people, and most importantly, myself,” he said.
“I believe that I did everything I could to be prepared for a great season, and I think that’s the truth for all of our guys. I know everyone puts a lot of pressure on themselves, approaching a new season, and you try to do everything you can to be prepared. So for me, I took steps, and my goal was to leave no stone unturned in trying to bounce back and have a great year.”
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Rielly is entering his 13th season with the Maple Leafs. He, like the rest of the team, has one goal in mind, and he’s done everything possible to set himself up to contribute to that objective.
“I think that if we’re able to execute as a team, and play within a structure, everyone’s going to look great, and we’re going to get the results we’re looking for,” Rielly said, before admitting what he’d like to see from himself.
“For me, it’s about being in shape, skating, playing to your strengths, being dangerous, shooting the puck, and take it from there. But again, it’s about what we’re doing as a team, and that starts today, and on the ice (Thursday).”
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