Morgan Rielly is still expected to be traded away from the Toronto Maple Leafs before next season, according to insider Chris Johnston.
Johnston reiterated the expectation this week on his own show, pushing back against any sense that the situation had cooled.
"I continue to hear that the expectation is he'll still be moved before next season," Johnston said.
That directly cuts against a softer read that had been circulating recently, one suggesting Rielly could simply stick around to start the year.
The two takes are not actually as far apart as they sound. Even the softer version always came with a stated preference to still move him.
Rielly posted 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points over 78 games this past season, a quiet year that has not helped his trade value.
Raddysh gives Toronto real cover to make this move
Darren Raddysh is the reason Toronto can actually afford to follow through this time. He posted 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points this past season.
Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson round out a group that no longer needs Rielly's minutes replaced by a single new addition.
Toronto missed the playoffs entirely last season, finishing 32-36-14 for 78 points and 28th overall, part of why every roster question gets this much scrutiny.
Rielly still carries a $7.5 million cap hit, a real number for any team willing to take on the contract in a trade.
Whoever ends up as Toronto's trade partner will also inherit a full season of uncertainty about how much term is left to negotiate around.
Johnston's original comments through his own show lay out the full context on where things stand.
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Whether this actually gets resolved before training camp, or drags into the season the way these situations sometimes do, is still genuinely unclear.
Should the Maple Leafs finally trade Morgan Rielly this offseason?
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