Morgan Rielly’s Suspension Should Motivate Maple Leafs

The story line lately surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs have been the actions of top defender Morgan Rielly after an altercation towards the end of their game against the Ottawa Senators. Rielly was ejected after cross-checking Senators forward Ridly Greig in the head after he scored an empty net goal on a slapshot. 

This whole situation created a stir on the ice with Greig and Rielly took exception to his method of scoring. Overall, it was a bush league move on both sides. While the response from Rielly was excessive, it was warranted to send a message that it won’t be tolerated. Even head coach Sheldon Keefe thought the response was suitable. 

Rielly was handed a five-game suspension as a result of the hit. While that’s a punishment he has to live with, this is something that the Maple Leafs could use to their advantage. They were embarrassed in the game and they were their own worst enemy with poor puck management. Seeing that goal and what transpired afterwards would leave a sour taste in anyone’s mouth. Could that whole sequence be a massive wake-up call and push the Maple Leafs to be better? It’s possible as teams have seen messages sent in different fashions when they need one. 

Panthers the Best Example

Clearly, Rielly wasn’t happy with what transpired and sent a message to Greig that the Maple Leafs weren’t going to let that slide. The message was sent and now Rielly has to serve his time with his suspension. While many questioned that he should’ve gone about it a different way, many– including those on the team like Ryan Reaves– felt that something needed to be done. They had another poor outing against a bottom feeder team and that goal rubbed more salt into the wound. Even Matthew Knies took note of that and said that it’s “meaningful”. 

That moment in time was something that we haven’t seen in a long time with this Maple Leafs team. They’ve been pushed around too much in the past and many have called this team “soft” when a message needed to be sent and they let it slide. Case and point, the team not lifting a finger when Brad Marchand did a can opener on Timothy Liljegren and the response was met with crickets. Rielly in that moment took matters into his own hands and wasn’t going to have any of that. This moment could be a turning point for the Maple Leafs just like the Florida Panthers had theirs last season. 

On March 28^th, 2023, the…