TORONTO – Morgan Rielly went through an off-season of reflection.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman said at the start of training camp he was “really disappointed” in himself following a 2024-25 campaign that was far below his own standard.
Rielly sought outside advice and had some tough conversations, including with general manager Brad Treliving.
The 31-year-old looked at every aspect of his craft in hopes of gaining new perspective and getting back to the two-way force the Leafs expect.
Opening night was a promising start.
Rielly scored the game-winning goal after jumping up into the play and driving to the slot as Toronto picked up a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
“Everyone in here wants to play well the first game,” said the veteran blueliner, who will look to avoid talking about himself at almost every opportunity. “You work hard all summer — everyone — and you just want to get off on the right foot. We had lots of guys that did that.”
Rielly put in plenty of work this summer after producing a disappointing seven goals and 34 assists for 41 points last season.
Leafs winger Bobby McMann skated alongside his teammate throughout July and August at Toronto’s practice facility.
“He showed up every day,” said McMann, who scored a minute into Wednesday’s game. “Put the work in, continued to be a professional this far into his career. He’s still hungry, he still wants it.
“He wants to win so bad, and he wants the best for himself.”
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The Leafs hired head coach Craig Berube ahead of the 2024-25 campaign in hopes of reigning in a run-and-gun style in favour of a more measured approach.
Rielly struggled to find his place in the new system, sometimes too focused on not making a mistake instead of trusting his instincts that produced 72- and 68-point seasons — and earned him an eight-year, US$60-million contract extension in 2021.
“We talked to him and had conversations with him … just go play your game,” said Berube, who pointed to the acquisition of defence partner Brandon Carlo as a steadying force ahead of last season’s trade deadline. “When you’ve got to defend, you defend. But we need you doing the other things offensively.
“I thought he got better in the second half of the year and into the playoffs.”
Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz said Rielly is at his best when he’s confident with the puck and making plays at both ends of the rink.
“He did a great job of holding his gap, getting stick on pucks and moving guys in front,” said the netminder, who finished with 29 saves Wednesday. “We can all see the offensive talent’s there when he feels confident and he can fly up the ice and join the rush like that. For him to get that goal, it’s huge for him and huge for us as a team.”
Rielly, who dropped six pounds in the off-season, also knows there’s a long road to go for both himself and the group.
“I’ve been open and honest about all those conversations,” he said of his summer. “But we’re all trying to build off of what we’re doing. We’re all trying to improve.”
Wednesday was a solid first step.
BASEBALL FEVER
The Toronto Blue Jays took on the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series as the Leafs and Canadiens were battling at Scotiabank Arena.
The baseball score was flashed on the big screen high throughout the night, and the crowd gave a huge cheer — in the middle of the play on the ice — when the Jays went up 4-1.
Chants of “Let’s Go Blue Jays!” followed from fans of both hockey teams.
“It’s just a cool energy,” Rielly said. “We want to be supportive of those guys. They have a great fan base and it obviously crosses over a little bit, so it’s a really fun time to be around here. We’re cheering them on.”
Stolarz, who grew up a New York Mets fan in Edison N.J., was happy to see his team’s rival down as he was focusing on the puck.
“This city is extremely passionate,” he said. “To hear the roar and just to see how much they support their teams, that’s just more motivation for us to continue to progress as this year goes on and make a deep run.”
The Leafs left the game on the big screen after the final buzzer and allowed fans to hang around and watch the final few innings before the Jays clinched a 5-2 victory to advance to the American League Championship Series.
“Go Jays,” Berube said to close his press conference.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
