Elliotte Friedman says the Maple Leafs want a big swing on the blue line, and Morgan Rielly's numbers help explain the urgency.
Speaking Monday on the FAN Hockey Show, Friedman said Toronto is looking to see what kind of big swing it can take on the back end.
The timing is interesting. Toronto just won its second straight last night, a 6-2 thumping of the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
But one road win doesn't erase October. Toronto sits fifth in the division at 5-4-2, the kind of start that sends a front office shopping.
Look at the goal column. Rielly, Darren Raddysh, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Troy Stecher and Jake McCabe have combined for no goals this season.
The only blue line goal belongs to Marshall Rifai, who carries an $850,000 cap hit and scored last night in only his second game.
Raddysh is the sore spot. He carries an $8,500,000 cap hit, the biggest on the Toronto blue line, and three of his five assists came on the power play.
-
Jim Hiller is leaning on Troy Stecher harder than anyone
Here's the detail that should worry people. Stecher, a $1,350,000 defenseman, led all Toronto skaters with 26:25 of ice time in Columbus.
That's a lot of rope for a player with one point this season. Jim Hiller didn't have many options, with McCabe logging just 4:15 on the night.
McCabe is listed day-to-day with a face issue. Chris Tanev remains on injured reserve with an upper body problem.
Think of a kitchen running a Friday dinner rush with two cooks home sick. Somebody's working the grill all night, ready or not.
Goaltending isn't bailing anyone out either. Anthony Stolarz owns an .897 save percentage, and Sergei Bobrovsky sits at .902.
Stolarz faced 37 shots last night. That came against a Blue Jackets team that's now 3-5-0.
Toronto has given up 35 goals through 11 games. Auston Matthews and his 18 points are doing a lot of heavy lifting just to keep this team in the mix.
So what does a big swing actually look like? Friedman didn't name a target, and there's no point pretending otherwise.
Swinging is the right call. Waiting for a 35-year-old Ekman-Larsson and an injured Tanev to stabilize this group is a plan built on hope.
Rielly belongs in this conversation too. He piled up three assists last night but still carries a -4 rating, and he's gone minus-3 over his last five games.
The cap side won't be easy. Matthews at $13,250,000 and William Nylander at $11,500,000 already take up a big piece of the room.
And the injury list adds another layer. John Tavares is on injured reserve with a lower body injury and isn't expected back until at least November 27.
The schedule offers no breathing room. The Rangers visit Thursday, and New York has won 7 of its 11 games so far.
After that, Toronto heads west for Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver, a four-game road trip that will test whatever blue line is in place.
A deal before that trip changes the conversation fast. If nothing comes, Hiller keeps feeding minutes to Stecher and hopes the bill doesn't come due in Edmonton.
Should the Maple Leafs trade Morgan Rielly as part of a big blue line swing?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Lukas Cormier placed on waivers by Golden Knights; 31 other teams can claim him
