NHL Rumors: Trade Chatter To Pick Up Around Morgan Rielly
After a brief stretch of points in early December, they slid again, and the noise around real change is back to full volume. Insider David Pagnotta thinks that is when Morgan Rielly’s name starts circulating more often, because a move of that size is one of the few ways Toronto can actually change the feel of this team.
Morgan Rielly trade talk could pick up fast
Blaming the coaching staff only goes so far, and a bigger lever might need to be pulled. That puts Morgan Rielly in the spotlight, even with the full no move clause that has been a roadblock before.
If the Leafs go back to that conversation and push harder, it is not because Rielly has forgotten how to play. It is because his contract is one of the rare core pieces that could reshape the blue line, the cap picture, and the room in one swing.
DFO Rundown (Dec 22): Pagnotta says he wouldn't be surprised if Morgan Rielly's name starts to pop up. He has a full no move clause and he told the team leading in to the summer that didn't want to wave it so it might be tough to do. #LeafsForever #NHL pic.twitter.com/M8skWWkqMp
— NHL Trade Alert (@NHLTradeAlert) December 22, 2025
Rielly's in his 13th NHL season, but he's by no means "washed up." At least, he shouldn't be. He's only 31-years-old, and can still rack up points, but defensively it's just become worse and worse recently. That makes it feel like it needs to be time for a change of scenery. If the Leafs continue to struggle, the noise will only get louder for Rielly unfortunately, and it's doubtful his game will improve from that, plus a spiraling team.
This season, he has five goals, 24 total points, a -7 plus/minus rating, and 51 blocked shots across 34 games played, while averaging 21:54 of time on ice.
After this season, Rielly has four years remaining on his eight-year, $60M deal, carrying an AAV of $7.5M.
What a Morgan Rielly deal would actually require
This is where it gets complicated. Rielly is 31 and deep into the eight year extension he signed in 2021, so any trade needs a partner that can handle term and money, and it needs Rielly to be open to leaving.
Still, teams that can take a big bite could emerge if the market gets desperate, and Pagnotta expects that chatter to grow as the season grinds on. The Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, Utah Mammoth, and Pittsburgh Penguins get brought up because they can all make different versions of the math work, and the league just watched the Minnesota Wild land Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a deal that came out of nowhere.
A Toronto kid doing this to Morgan Rielly. What a moment for Luke Evangelista. pic.twitter.com/cM4h2gWmAG
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) December 21, 2025
Over his 13 seasons in Toronto, Rielly has amassed 92 goals, 537 total points, a -30 plus/minus rating, one All-Star selection, and two Norris Trophy nominations across 907 games played.
If Toronto decides the core needs a jolt, Morgan Rielly is the kind of name that makes the whole league pay attention.
Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
