Berube shares blunt thoughts on struggling Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Rielly

When Morgan Rielly was drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs way back in 2012, he had to expect there’d eventually be some criticism coming his way.

And nearly 12 years after his NHL debut in 2013, Rielly is facing arguably the most scrutiny he’s dealt with in his career.

At 5v5 this season, Rielly’s 37 goals against while he’s on the ice are the highest among any Leafs player. In more traditional stats, he’s at a -18, the only player on the roster to carry worse than a -6.

Leafs coach Craig Berube met the media after Wednesday’s 3-1 loss against the Minnesota Wild, where Rielly found himself once again in a familiar spot: on the ice for a goal against the Leafs. Berube offered a rather blunt assessment of Rielly’s struggles:

“Can Morgan play better? Yes, he can. We all know that. He knows that. He is trying to work through it right now. The team game is not all on Morgan,” Berube said Wednesday night.

Rielly has put up five goals and 17 assists in 51 games, a points-per-game rate of  0.43, his lowest since 2016-17. Meanwhile, his average ice time of 21:27 is the lowest of his career since 2014-15.

“He is a guy who we need offence from on the back end. He just has to stick with it and keep working at it. We’ll try to help him as much as we can,” Berube added. “He is a good pro. He comes to work. He keeps it pretty quiet and to himself. He knows that he wants to be better. He is just trying to work through it, and we are trying to help him. As coaches, that is our job.”

For Rielly, he’ll get a chance to redeem himself when the Leafs take to a four-game road trip starting this Saturday through Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle before a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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