Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday after missing over five weeks with a knee injury. TEMPE, Ariz. — When Morgan Rielly injured his knee on Nov. 21 against the New York Islanders, the defenseman was heavily relied upon as he averaged a team-high 23 minutes per game. Now slated to make his return to the lineup against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, Rielly is still the leader in average ice time. He watched as fellow defensemen Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren step up in top-four roles and help Toronto go 12-2-1 in the leader’s absence. “They’ve been playing outstanding and it’s been a pleasure to watch,” Rielly said following practice at Mullett Arena on Wednesday. “There’s been guys that have accepted more responsibility within their roles and have played extremely well. As a teammate of theirs, you’re proud of it. It’s very encouraging moving forward.” Rielly will slot back into a ‘top-four’ role against the Coyotes after skating with Liljegren. But at this point, the order of the pairs doesn’t seem to matter. For example, TJ Brodie has been slotted in a ‘third pair’ role, but led the Leafs in ice time at 24:57 in the team’s 5-4 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Given the strides Toronto’s defense have made as players like Rielly went down with an injury, it’s doesn’t appear to be as simple as sliding him back into the go-to defenseman role he occupied before his injury. At least, not to start. “The trust has grown for the players,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. “When the team is thriving and the players are all feeling good, everybody’s minutes should come down just a little bit because your are just trusting your team.” And Rielly is intent on helping the Leafs not skip a beat nor disrupt the current flow. “Our team has just been playing great that, for me, I just want to come in and help and come in to play the team’s system and keep this thing going well,” he explained. “It’s on me to contribute to that and be a positive addition and help the team game that we have going.” Rielly has recorded 16 assists in 20 games this season. Offense from the defence has been a bit of a struggle for Toronto this season, although Justin Holl became the first Leafs defenseman to open the scoring for Toronto with a goal this season on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Rielly will still get chances to contribute offensively, although it will no longer be on the first power play unit he occupied before his injury. He’ll be on the second unit along with defenseman Conor Timmins as the Leafs continue to role with five forward and Mitch Marner playing in the back. “I think you could put Mitch anywhere and he would be an all-pro,” Rielly said of Marner. “I think that we have the talent in that group of five forwards that can do that.” Rielly injured his knee when he was involved with a collision with New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri on Nov. 21. He knew at that moment in time that his injury was serious. He credited the medical team and conditioning staff for helping him get back to health before the turn of the calendar year. But he was particularly proud of both Sandin and Liljegren take a big step in their careers as dependable defensemen who can play in the top-four. “I thought we knew that for a bit but sometimes it takes an opportunity like that to really step into it,” Rielly said. “That’s obviously a positive that comes out of that situation.”
