Morgan Rielly looks like the next longtime Maple Leaf headed out the door, and his list of approved destinations has one notable absence.
The report, attributed to Pierre LeBrun via the post, is direct. All signs point to a Rielly trade this offseason, and his agent has handed Toronto a list of teams that interest him.
Worth a caveat. This is a fan account relaying LeBrun, so take the finer points with some care. The broad strokes fit Toronto's reset, though.
The list itself tells a story. Most of the teams are in the West, with a sense there could be flexibility as talks evolve.
But one team is pointedly missing, and it matters.
The relay spelled out the snub clearly.
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Vancouver's off the table, San Jose looms as a fit
Here's the standout detail. Vancouver is not on Rielly's list, and San Jose, per the post, makes sense as a landing spot.
The Vancouver part is the interesting one. The Canucks have a young blue line and could use a veteran puck-mover to steady it. Rielly, apparently, has zero interest.
And you can understand why he'd pass. Vancouver finished 32nd overall at 58 points. A veteran getting moved rarely chooses to land in the league's basement.
He'd rather go somewhere with a pulse. That's not a knock on Vancouver so much as a reflection of where they sit in their rebuild.
San Jose fits that thinking better. The Sharks climbed to 86 points and are a rising young team in the West, a far more appealing destination than a last-place club.
Rielly's own profile sharpens the picture. He's 32, on a $7.5 million deal, with 36 points but a rough minus-18 on a bad Toronto team. A change of scenery could do him good, and his list means he picks where.
Here's my read: Rielly leaving is another core piece gone in Toronto's teardown. The Marner exit, the Knies chatter, and now this.
The Vancouver snub underlines something, too. Even veterans being shopped want to land somewhere they can compete, not just bank a check on a rebuild.
So Rielly is heading West, just not to Vancouver. Where exactly depends on how the flexibility in talks plays out.
The Canucks can cross him off. Toronto's reset rolls on, one veteran at a time, and the next domino is already wobbling.
Is Rielly right to keep Vancouver off his trade list?
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