The 2024-25 season was, overall, one to forget for Morgan Rielly. The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ longtime defenceman has showcased his offensive abilities on multiple occasions, with a 72-point and a 68-point season under his belt, but he’s also been prone to struggling with inconsistency. That was the story in 2024-25, when he finished the season with 41 points in 82 games.

Although he found his game in the playoffs, with four goals and seven points in 13 games, the regular season was a tough go for him. He found himself off the first power play unit, sometimes in favour of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and sometimes in favour of Mitch Marner, when the Maple Leafs opted to go with the five-forward unit. With Marner’s departure and Rielly itching to get his mojo back, head coach Craig Berube said that he plans to start the season with Rielly on the top power play unit.

When asked if there’s anything he’s going to take from last season’s experience and apply it to his work this season, he said that getting back to his roots and taking pride in himself as a power play quarterback is going to be his primary focus.

“I think there’s a number of things that are incredibly important, you can get into it as deep as you want, but I think ultimately, I’m just going to try and take a lot of pride and put a lot of effort into making sure I do my job there,” Rielly said following a scrimmage on Day 3 of camp. “The details will get sorted out with Savvy [Marc Savard], and we’ll talk about formations and whatnot.”

Confidence is key for NHL players, and Rielly knows that he’s capable of being a play-driver from the back end.

“Ultimately, it’s a role where I’m comfortable, and I’m just going to take a lot of pride in that area of the game.”

While the defensive corps is more or less set in stone for the upcoming season, there’s ample competition for the forward group. One player who’s going to be front and centre in trying to crack the roster is top prospect Easton Cowan. Rielly says that he’s seen improvement in Cowan’s game and stressed the importance of supporting him and other fringe guys who might not have a job locked up.

“He looks bigger, and I think for him there’s no doubting what he’s capable of,” Rielly told reporters. “He’s put that on display, and just making the jump is challenging, no matter who you are. As his teammates, we want to support him and help everyone as we get going here.”

The Maple Leafs will head to Ottawa to open the preseason against the Senators, and between Cowan and everybody else, Rielly believes that allowing everybody to play their own style of game comfortably is key to team success.

“We want to create an environment where people can be themselves, be their best, and just go out there and compete.”

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