Morgan Rielly is coming back to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and new coach Jim Hiller might be exactly the fit he's needed all along.
This week, Rielly made it clear there's no lingering uncertainty about his future, saying he expects to be part of this organization going forward.
He confirmed a direct conversation with GM John Chayka after the World Championships, one he called appreciated for exactly that directness.
Rielly does hold a no-move clause, and his camp reportedly gave four approved Western Conference destinations earlier in the offseason if a trade ever came together.
None of it materialized. Instead, Toronto has told him directly he's coming back, with the expectation that this season is the one where his game finally rebounds.
The fit under former coach Craig Berube never really worked. Berube wanted big, physical shutdown defensemen, and that was never Rielly's identity on the ice.
Why Jim Hiller could be the coach Rielly needed all along
Hiller, by contrast, was actually on staff as an assistant during Rielly's best NHL season, the one where he scored 20 goals under Mike Babcock.
That mobility and puck moving identity is exactly what Toronto's new coaching staff wants from its back end, and it lines up with what Rielly does best.
Rielly still finished last season with 36 points over 78 games at a minus-18 rating, numbers that need to climb if this fit is actually the answer.
Giving him one more year under a coach who actually fits his game is the right call. Trading a good player just to prove a point rarely pays off.
Make no mistake, this reads as a one-year audition. If Rielly doesn't turn things around under Hiller and Chayka, this same conversation resurfaces next summer.
Whether a new coach and a clean slate actually unlock the player Toronto's still hoping for is something only this season will answer.
Will Morgan Rielly finally rebound under Jim Hiller's new system this season?
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