When the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted defenseman Morgan Rielly in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, it was during the first round, but he wasn’t one of the top four choices. Instead, he was the fifth draft choice made. The first five picks were Nail Yakupov (Edmonton Oilers), Ryan Murray (Columbus Blue Jackets), Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal Canadiens), Griffin Reinhart (New York Islanders), and finally Morgan Rielly (Maple Leafs).
| Draft Position | Player | Drafting Team |
| First | Nail Yakupov | Edmonton Oilers |
| Second | Ryan Murray | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Third | Alex Galchenyuk | Montreal Canadiens |
| Fourth | Griffin Reinhart | New York Islanders |
| Fifth | Morgan Rielly | Toronto Maple Leafs |
This week, as I was thinking about Jack Campbell’s first NHL All-Star Game, I also considered that Morgan Rielly had never been an NHL All-Star. In my mind, Rielly deserves more respect as a player. This season, he’s clearly become the Maple Leafs’ top defenseman.
I can’t even imagine if another team choosing in front of the Maple Leafs had the foresight to have chosen Rielly before another one of the four players chosen before him. It would have made a huge difference on the Maple Leafs’ team.
Rielly Has Outperformed Almost Everyone in His Draft Class
Since Rielly was drafted fifth by the Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he’s certainly outperformed the four who preceded him (Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, and Griffin Reinhart).
Yakupov had a couple of decent seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, but has been back in the KHL since 2018. This season he has 26 points in 43 games for Omsk Avangard. Murray currently plays with the Colorado Avalanche and has four assists in 22 games there as a depth defenseman.
We know Galchenyuk’s story, he was with the Maple Leafs in 2020-21. After a relatively unproductive season in 2021-22, he signed a contract the Colorado Avalanche where’s mostly played in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Reinhart played 37 NHL games without a goal and two assists and most recently played for Belfast in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. It’s probably a good life, but it isn’t in the NHL.
Rielly has played more NHL games than any other player from that draft class. Rielly also is the third-ranked scorer in that entire draft class (with 405 points), behind Filip Forsberg (511 points) of the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (440 points).
Rielly Doesn’t Get the Respect Other Defensemen Get, But He’s Good
Rielly isn’t the offensive defenseman in the ilk of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman, the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, or the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox, but he’s playing better than any other season during his career. He’s even on pace for the best season of his career.
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As his Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe noted, Morgan’s “game is in a really good spot, both sides of the puck. We talked about how his defending has improved and he’s keeping the play in front of him — he’s closing space really well — and he’s doing that without taking away from his offence.” (from “Leaf Morgan Rielly isn’t an NHL all-star, but his teammates make a pretty strong case, Kevin McGran, Toronto Star, 04/02/22).
In his article, McGran noted that some fans might wish Rielly were more physical, more offensive-minded, or even flashier. Perhaps the fact that he doesn’t stand out in any one aspect of the game is the cause for the fact that he’s generally been ignored for All-Star Game selection or even Norris Trophy voting. Rielly’s never been to a single NHL All-Star game and he’s only received 10 Norris Trophy votes since he came in fifth place in voting for the 2018-19 season.
Rielly Will Soon Become a Revered Maple Leafs’ Defenseman
Can Maple Leafs’ fans imagine Rielly on another NHL team? Can Oilers’ fans imagine Rielly on their team? At 29 years old, Rielly’s already sixth in Maple Leafs’ franchise history in games played for defensemen with 705. The great Jimmy Thomson is just ahead of him with 717 games. Rielly has also totaled 405 career points, which ranks fifth. The great Ian Turnbull is just above him in fourth with 414 points.
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Former Maple Leafs’ teammate Jason Spezza, who’s seen his share of great defensemen, noted in 2021-22 that Rielly is a “consummate pro. He came into this year … with the pressure of trying to make the Olympic team, the pressure of not having a contract beyond this year. And you wouldn’t have known that. He came in and was workmanlike.”
McGran made a key point in his article when he noted that “When all is said and done, Rielly may be as revered as Borje Salming or Tim Horton. He’ll get the chance with an eight-year, $60-million contract extension that kicks in next season.”
Given all that, even if Rielly doesn’t get the respect he might deserve, can any thoughtful Maple Leafs’ fan even imagine this – or any other – season’s team without Rielly on it? In addition, he’s one of the true class acts on any NHL team anywhere.