Morgan Rielly's name is back in trade rumors, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman is already picking his no-list.
Insider David Pagnotta said on the DFO Rundown that Rielly does not want to play for the Vancouver Canucks or the Seattle Kraken. The clip gained traction late Monday night after NHL Rumour Report shared it.
That knocks out two Pacific Division destinations before any real trade conversation even gets rolling.
Rielly closed this season with 36 points in 78 games, an 11-goal, 25-assist year that came with a rough minus-18 rating.
He still logged time on Toronto's power play, chipping in one goal and five assists with the man advantage.
This is the first real signal on where Rielly would actually accept a deal, after months of speculation with no direction attached.
Toronto finished 32-36-14, a stretch that closed out on a seven-game losing streak heading into the offseason.
Toronto's trade market for Rielly just got a lot tighter
Carrying a $7,500,000 cap hit, Rielly was never an easy sell around the league to begin with.
Cut Vancouver and Seattle out of it, and the list of realistic trade partners keeps getting thinner.
So who's actually left?
Contenders rarely have that kind of cap room sitting open for a rental-priced veteran defenseman with term still on the books.
Toronto's blue line already runs through Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, all part of the current roster mix.
The payroll is already anchored by Auston Matthews at $13,250,000 and William Nylander at $11,500,000, leaving little room to maneuver.
John Tavares carries a $4,388,210 cap hit of his own, which leaves Rielly looking like the most movable big-money piece on the roster.
Turning down two working markets while your team just finished 32-36-14 is a bold stance for a guy plenty of fans already want moved.
Jim Hiller was hired as Toronto's head coach on June 17, walking into a roster with plenty of unresolved questions already attached.
Toronto's front office has said nothing publicly. Rielly, for his part, seems content to let his no-list do the talking.
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Should the Maple Leafs honor Morgan Rielly's list and only trade him where he wants to go?
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