Maple Leafs have a $30 million Morgan Rielly problem before NHL trade deadline

Morgan Rielly has not done well lately to instill future confidence in the Toronto Maple Leafs' fanbase.

The viral slip-and-slide was the worst moment, but his overall play as a defenseman has not impressed in this bumpy season for Toronto. And his contract makes that a problem.

Maybe in a different scenario, it'd be easy for the Maple Leafs to trade Rielly before the Friday deadline and just move on.

His long-term deal makes that a lot tougher, though.

Rielly is owed an average of $7.5 million through the 2029-30 season. That's a total of $30 million over the life of the contract beyond this season.

That's a lot of money for a defenseman that isn't a sure thing to keep getting better.

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Rielly hasn't been one of the more rumored trade candidates for the Leafs before the deadline. They've got a handful of expiring contracts that are the clear and obvious targets for other teams.

But at least some in the Toronto fanbase have speculated about moving on from Rielly simply because he hasn't quite lived up to the expectations.

Maybe he'd thrive with another team thanks to a change of scenery.

But there'd be a big risk for an acquiring team that Rielly would end up looking a bit overpaid and not be worth the price.

That might mean the Maple Leafs are stuck with him. And if that's the case, they'll just have to hope his play improves sooner rather than later.

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