Will Morgan Rielly’s suspension serve as a rallying point or a collapse for the Maple Leafs?
How will we look back on February 10, 2024?
Perhaps this will be the moment that reignites the Battle of Ontario. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators have rarely been competitive at the same time since their last playoff meeting in 2004, thus the rivalry has been stale for the previous two decades. However, Ridly Greig may have changed everything when he secured a Sens victory on Saturday night with a slapshot into an empty net. We won’t know for sure until the teams meet again, which will very definitely not be until next season.
We’re more likely to remember February 10 as the event that impacted the Leafs’ 2023-24 season, for better or worse. They have more control over how we remember things than they may realize.
Greig used the clapper on Saturday. Morgan Rielly, the Leafs’ defenseman, replied with a cross-check to the head. The stick did not ride up. It was already up. The attack occurred after the play had already been blown dead by the goal. It was a textbook non-hockey play, the Department of Player Safety’s No. 1 pet peeve, and the narrative – taking offense at your team being embarrassed – only added to the predatory nature of the play. Rielly was caught between a rock and a hard place, because not responding would have resulted in just as many fans and pundits yelling from their soapboxes. But there was no avoiding what he did.
That’s why the DOPS suspended him for five games at a hearing on Tuesday. Is Greig unharmed? Rielly has no past history of supplemental discipline. Be happy, Leafs supporters. Both of these items would have extended the prohibition beyond its original duration. They were considered in George Parros’ decision. Rielly escaped somewhat unscathed; the five-game penalty is short enough that the NHL Players’ Association can file an appeal straight to commissioner Gary Bettman, bypassing a third-party arbitrator.
As a result, the Leafs will not have their number one defenseman until February 22nd. How they handle his absence throughout the organization might set the tone for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Will they point their fingers? During Rielly’s hearing, did the Leafs succumb to the mentality of Twitter Leaf Nation warriors, with Zapruder showing as many comparable footage as he could find, despite the fact that the context of each was different? Will GM Brad Treliving echo coach Sheldon Keefe’s hints about unfavorable treatment of his club by the DOPS, despite the fact that the information is only circumstantial at best?
Your opponents certainly hope so, Leafs. They want you distracted. They want you to hunt for a scapegoat after a disappointing season in which the squad has regressed owing to poor defensive performance and depth-scoring issues. That is the mindset of a team destined to lose. If the Leafs become caught down in self-pity and pursue Bettman with appeals, they risk falling. You prepare an excuse to fail, and guess what? You will.
That is one way to go. The other option is to utilize the situation as a rallying cry and put the penalty behind them. And that’s precisely what the Leafs accomplished Tuesday night, defeating the St. Louis Blues with one of their most spirited wins of the season, despite missing Rielly, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and six regulars. Role player Bobby McMann scored his first career hat trick.
On the blueline, perhaps the added responsibility will motivate T.J. Brodie, who hasn’t looked like the same lockdown player this season. His 23:41 of ice time Tuesday was his second-highest total since November. Perhaps Timothy Liljegren will finally find his rhythm on that temporary top pair and regain the confidence that has eluded him for so long. Simon Benoit’s 20:27 was his second-best performance as a Leaf. Perhaps Jake McCabe, who has showed surprising flashes of offense to compliment his tough approach, thrives when the Leafs try him out on the top power play unit. If the Leafs are to remain afloat as currently Constructed, this ragtag D-corps will have to step up without their most essential element. That will not be an easy feat, given that Rielly has been their best blueliner on both ends of the ice. Throughout his career, he has been portrayed as an offense-only player, but this season he has made significant progress in his own zone.
McCabe’s postgame comments Tuesday was a good omen. For starters, he promised not to “b—- and complain” about the Rielly ban. Second, when asked if he was annoyed by his bleeding face, he informed a reporter that he would not take the bait and complain about the officiating.
“I’m just going to keep putting a smile on my face and competing,” McCabe said with a laugh.
That is the mentality Toronto requires: look ahead, not backward, and avoid pointing fingers.
A third path for the Leafs to pursue? If not a rally cry for the players, then one for the front staff and Treliving. He’s rumored to be interested in nearly half of the NHL’s defensemen this season, including his former Calgary Flames teammates Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and the already-traded Nikita Zadorov, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Walker, the St. Louis Blues’ Colton Parayko, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Andrew Peeke, and so on.
Treliving is notorious for generating blockbusters throughout the winter. He hasn’t been a very active in-season mover. Trade Deadline. Season isn’t his thing. The exception was in 2021-22, when he acquired Tyler Toffoli and Calle Jarnkrok for the Flames’ playoff run. But perhaps Rielly’s absence adds some urgency. Even with him, the Leafs’ projected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 had dropped from 10th to 24th year after year. One inspiring victory over an average Blues squad does not alter the team’s mindset.
The trade deadline is 23 days away. If Treliving believes this club is capable of making a run, then go get your people. Like right now. While the Leafs have more games in hand than the majority of their opponents, they are still four points out of the playoffs. Rielly’s absence threatens to drop them into the bubble.
So, where will the Leafs and their fans go from here? It depends on how much power they believe they have.
Path No. 1 involves lamenting what “has happened to them” and preparing for defeat.
Path No. 2 is to look within and use Rielly’s suspension as an opportunity for the remaining defenseman to pick up the slack, gain confidence, and create stronger habits. Tuesday night marked a significant step in that direction.
Path Number Three: seize the day, baby. Don’t be angry; instead, get even by acquiring one or two of the most sought-after defensemen on the trade market.
Whatever happens between now and March 8, it will undoubtedly be entertaining. It’s always true when it comes to blue and white.
