After a disappointing 2025-26 Maple Leafs season, Morgan Rielly discussed the team’s major on-ice failure and his uncertain future with the organization.
When you look back on the season, where do you think it went wrong for the team?
Rielly: I think there were different points, earlier in the year, when we were kind of up and down. We were playing .500 hockey. We had a good road trip. As players, we talked about that trip before we left, and then we came back and weren’t able to continue it. There were other points in the season when we just weren’t able to be consistent enough or keep things going in the right direction.
It is tough to put your finger on one thing. Whenever you have a year like this, there are a number of things in need of improvement, but ultimately, consistency was one of those things that eluded us. That is a problem if you want to be one of the better teams in this league.
With all of the uncertainty around the future, what does it mean to you to be a Maple Leaf?
Rielly: I’ve always loved being in Toronto and being a part of this organization. It is very meaningful to me. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
There will be a lot of clamoring for change. There is a suggestion that ownership might ask you to waive. Where would your head be if that happens?
Rielly: It is a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet. After a year like this — after any year, but especially after one that was very disappointing — change is bound to happen. As an athlete, you have to be prepared for that.
It is not the first time it has crossed my mind. It is not something that anyone believes they’re [never] open to. When that conversation happens, we’ll deal with it accordingly.
I’ve always wanted to stay. I still want to stay. I love playing here and being a Maple Leaf. This organization means a lot to me.
From the time the Olympics to the end of the season, the record makes it look like the team tanked, but the team wasn’t trying to. How do you explain how the season ended?
Rielly: It is hard to explain. I think we came back from that break with 25 games left and had multiple meetings over what we needed to do to put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs. That was the tone of our conversations and meetings. To go out and end up where we are is extremely disappointing.
To your point, or to everyone’s point, it is hard to explain. I don’t have the answer right now. Whenever you are in this position, there are a number of things that go wrong, not just one issue. There are many things that need to be addressed and improved on.
When you look at the first periods against the Panthers and Senators coming out of the break, they were two of the worst periods the team has ever played. With so much on the line, how do you play that badly?
Rielly: I can’t really remember the periods themselves that well. But I think we came back from that break and had aspirations of trying to play really good hockey and make a push for the playoffs. I don’t know if it was that pressure or the nerves or whatever. I can’t really remember those periods specifically that well. But if you look at that body of work from that point on, there are a lot of other things that need to be improved upon. It’s more than one or two periods here and there.
Does the way the season ended cast any doubt in your mind that the team can get back on track next year?
Rielly: I don’t think so. In moments, you have doubt; if you look at the record, and after games, you have feelings of doubt. But ultimately, I think there is a strong belief in here, in the big picture and over the long run, that the team will be able to get back to a position of strength and a chance to win.
What will the difference be in terms of reflecting on the season when you miss the playoffs as opposed to losing out in the playoffs in past years? How do you process what went on now?
Rielly: I think the process of trying to reflect is the same. You look at yourself first, and then the team and the season. In the playoffs, there is more of an immediate thing where you’re looking back at the series itself. There has been an opportunity over the last few days and the last few weeks, where the process has almost started already, it feels like. There will be a lot of that going on.
Getting outshot and spending too much time in your own end were big pain points this season. How easy will it be to fix?
Rielly: Well, in this league, I don’t think there are any easy fixes. The work this team will need to put in to get back to where we want to be is extensive. Being outshot and playing too much time in the defensive zone are things we need to improve on. But, as I’ve already said, it is more than that.
For some veteran players, such as Mats Sundin in his time here, there seems to always be an abiding belief that next year will be better. Sometimes, it might not be realistic. How do you look at where the team is and where the team can be next year, without looking at it through rose-coloured glasses?
Rielly: That outlook and approach are a natural thing. You want to be better. You always believe. No one here believes the team will take a step back or be in this position again next year. I think it’s a natural thing that you always believe the team will push forward and be better.
As athletes, that is important to hang onto: the belief that you can be better, the team can be better, and you’re going to be in a position next year where we’re still playing. It is just a natural thing you want to hang onto as an athlete, that you’re going to put the work in to be better, and the team is going to be better.
Are you interested in going to the World Championships?
Rielly: Yeah, always.
