Expensive Maple Leafs veteran blamed by analyst for loss against Islanders
Morgan Rielly's season hasn't been going perfectly, and now the blame has been placed at his feet after an embarrassing loss to the Islanders.
The Toronto Maple Leafs enter every season with expectations of immense success, but in 2025/26, whether it be due to injuries or a lack of talent, they've just struggled to find that top gear.
Through 41 games, this team sits at 19-15-7, putting them tied for last place in the Atlantic Division, and with so much competition ahead of them, they're a true danger of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs altogether this year.
Rielly blamed for the Maple Leafs latest loss
Unfortunately for Toronto, things didn't get any better in their latest matchup with the New York Islanders, as star rookie Matthew Schaefer finished them off in OT with a thrilling winner, giving the Leafs their fifth loss in their past nine games.
While there was many people to blame for the loss, Bryan Hayes has appeared on TSN Overdrive to place the blame squarely at the feet of veteran Morgan Rielly, who has not been at his best this year.
You talk about pressure and what is needed, Morgan Riley is in the crosshairs right now in this market, and that was maybe the worst game I've ever seen him play on Saturday night. - Bryan Hayes
This season, Rielly has posted 5 goals and 26 points in 40 games played, but with a differential of -15, it's clear that he's a shell of the player he once was, as he has struggled for consistency like many players on this team.
Whether the whole loss is on him is up for debate, but if the Maple Leafs want to dig themselves out of the hole they've built, they need the 31-year old to be much, much better, and simply put, he just hasn't been that thus far in 2025/26.