Tons of pressure abruptly land on Morgan Rielly following Leafs’ lineup changes!

For months now, fans have been speculating about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new core and how the team would fill the void left by Mitch Marner up front. While head coach Craig Berube keeps playing around with lines at practice ever since training camp opened this week, he has made a decision when it comes to the special units and how he would replace Marner on the first power-play.

On Friday, Berube reveals how defenseman Morgan Rielly will now quarterback the first power-play unit to start, the spot previously occupied by Marner.

The pressure now lands on Rielly’s shoulders as he will run point this season.

Fans are strongly reacting to Berube’s decision, wondering if someone else would not be better suited for the job. Just on Friday, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has expressed in interest in landing the spot when speaking with reporters:

“I would love to get on the power play. I’m pushing for that. At the same time, I’m supporting everybody who’s on the power play, PK and 5-on-5. That’s what we need to do to have that winning culture around here.”

Over the summer, especially following the Marner sign and trade, rumours emerged that Rielly could land on the trade block. The 31-year-old defenseman has five years remaining on his contract at a $7.5 million cap hit and holds a full no-movement clause, meaning he would have to approve any deal. Still, if the Leafs are serious about shaking up their identity, and if Rielly is open to a fresh start elsewhere, the possibility can’t be dismissed.

Toronto’s blue line is relatively solid right now, especially with the recent acquisition of Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in a cap-clearing move that sent Ryan Reaves the other way. But up front, the situation is murkier. The Maple Leafs are searching for answers in their top six, and flipping a high-end defenseman like Rielly could help them land a forward who can make an impact right away.

But for now, the Leafs are flipping Rielly to the PP1, and the pressure is on him to get the results in.

Rielly, who has played over 800 games for the franchise, is a respected leader in the dressing room and I’m sure everyone on the team is behind him to get the power-play going once the puck is dropped in a couple of weeks.