The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t received much offence from the defence in the 2024-25 season, and the lack of production from Morgan Rielly has been concerningly noticeable. The defence corps of the Maple Leafs accounted for 99 shots without scoring a goal across 15 games in December. Rielly had 22 shots on target and four assists during that stretch. Toronto has a league-low seven goals from blueliners this campaign, and Rielly has four of them, but he hasn’t been producing points close to the rate that fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the years.
Rielly’s Production Is Down From Previous Seasons
Rielly is currently on pace to generate eight goals and 37 points in 82 games this campaign. His points per 60 minutes and assists per 60 minutes are his lowest since the first few seasons of getting his feet wet in the professional ranks, and his shots per 60 minutes are the second worst of his career.
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Outside of a 20-goal outlier in 2018-19, lighting the lamp hasn’t been a strong suit of the 30-year-old’s game at the NHL level. However, that has never hindered him from being a difference-maker on the scoresheet. From 2017-18 to 2023-24, Rielly ranked seventh among all defenders in scoring with 353 points, and his 298 assists ranked him fourth overall. He placed 11th with 125 power-play points during that span.
What Are the Reasons Behind Rielly’s Struggles?
The Maple Leafs have been a middle-of-the-pack offensive team in 2024-25, ranking 15th in goals per game (3.08) and shots per game (28.7). The power play sits 18th in the league, clicking at a 21.1 percent success rate. Toronto has experimented with various combinations while on the man advantage, including five forwards and giving Oliver Ekman-Larsson some time on the top unit instead of Rielly.
Rielly has contributed seven power-play points this season, consisting of one goal and six helpers. He doesn’t blast the puck from the point but usually gets his shot through to create tip-in or rebound opportunities for his teammates. However, he has posted only one primary helper and three rebounds on the power play in 2024-25, while his individual expected goals have plummeted from 2.41 last season to 1.07 this campaign.
Rielly still hasn’t had much stability with defence partners. It’s been an ongoing issue for him, so it probably shouldn’t be used as an excuse for his lack of…
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