Morgan Rielly wanted to put a rough 2024-25 season behind him, and after an offseason of hard work and a few deep chats with Toronto Maple Leafs management, he made a statement in the first game of 2025-26.

Rielly picked up an assist on Calle Jarnkrok’s second period goal and added the game-winning goal in the third period, and on both goals, he looked just as he does when he’s playing at his best – confident and willing to jump into the rush.

Head coach Craig Berube was proud of what he saw from Rielly in the first game of the season and said he was happy with his play at both ends of the ice.

“Yeah I thought he had a really good game,” Berube said of Rielly. “Skated well, moved the puck well, good reads, defended well, so he was solid. It was great to see him have a good game.”

Rielly playing with confidence offensively is imperative if the Leafs want him playing at his best. He’s shown glimpses of it in the past, with a 20-goal, 72-point season under his belt and a 68-point season just two years ago, but the inconsistency has gotten to him at times. And he’s not entirely to blame for that, either. Outside of the first two years of T.J. Brodie’s contract and the few weeks after the 2023 trade deadline when he skated alongside Luke Schenn, Rielly has never had a consistent defensive partner in the decade-plus he’s been a Leaf. It’s why Toronto traded for defenceman Brandon Carlo at last year’s trade deadline, and Berube made note of Rielly’s improvement since that trade.

“That was one of the reasons we put Brandon Carlo with him. He’s a stay-at-home D-man, that’s what he does,” Berube told reporters after the Leafs’ 5-2 win. “He’s really good at protecting his partner and doing all that stuff, so I think Mo’s got a little more freedom. And quite frankly, when he [Carlo] came over here, I thought Mo’s game changed quite a bit.”

With a goal and assist to open the season, it’s a solid building block that Rielly will look to improve on throughout the year. Another player who had his potential called out by Berube was Bobby McMann, who stepped up and scored the Leafs’ first goal of the season on a deflection from a William Nylander point shot. Berube made a point to single McMann out in training camp as somebody he believed had more to give, and McMann delivered on opening night.

Berube said that outside of the goal, McMann’s dedication to the smaller details impressed him in the home opener.

“I liked his game tonight. He made a play in the third period, later in the game, maybe five minutes to go or less. Just, his strength down low on the puck to hang onto it, the thought process in the brain about ‘we’re up by one, let’s just grind it down’, so, that was smart by him. He had a solid game.”

Rielly, McMann, and the rest of the Maple Leafs will look to build on their first win of the season when they head to Detroit on Saturday to visit the Detroit Red Wings.