They don’t make a lot of noise about themselves, but Maple Leafs defensemen Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie were the most important parts of Toronto’s defense corps last season, and they will continue to be crucial components this coming year. Indeed, if either Rielly or Brodie experiences a fall-off in production, the Buds could be in significant trouble in 2022-23.
Rielly is coming into Year One of an eight-year, $60-million contract extension he signed in October. As the Leafs’ top blueliner, his $7.5 million salary is a relative bargain compared to some other elite D-men in the league. Reilly had a career-high 58 assists last season and led all Toronto skaters in average ice time at 23:44 per game. He rarely is in the conversation for a Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, but he has improved his all-around game notably in the past couple of seasons, and he’s still only 28 years old. The best still should be to come for him.
-
Ep 60: Vegas Takes Game 1; Panthers Set For Game 2; Cole Caufield
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 11:43 pm
Jim and Chris look at the Golden Knights Game 1 win and look ahead to Game […]
Meanwhile, Brodie once again shined like a diamond in his second season as a Leaf. At a $5-million salary, he quietly went out, day after day, and played sound structural defensive hockey while chipping in a bit of offense. But Toronto doesn’t need him for offense. They need him to do exactly what he’s been doing: thriving in a puck possession regard, cutting off passing lanes, and stymying forechecks thanks to an incredibly high panic threshold.
You’ll rarely see Brodie on a highlight reel, but so long as pucks don’t enter the Leafs’ net more often than they go into their opponents’ net, Brodie is doing his primary job. He averaged 21:18 of ice time in 2021-22 and added 23 assists and 28 points. At age 32, he’s entering the late stage of his career, but Toronto is fortunate to have him under contract for the next two seasons, and GM Kyle Dubas will likely see if he can get Brodie to remain with the organization long-term, perhaps at a lesser salary, but if he stays this effective, he’ll still command a decent chunk of money.
Around Full Press Hockey
NHL: Assessing The Philadephia Flyers’ Depth At Center And Defense
NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars
NHL: The Most Pressured Men in Maple Leafs Land This Season
NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year
Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored
PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly: Ep 37: NHL Free Agency Recap
It’s important that young Leafs defenders Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin continue to develop into above-average D-men, so that there isn’t as much pressure on Rielly and Brodie (and fellow veteran Jake Muzzin, whose game has slipped of late as he’s dealt with health issues). But there’s no question Rielly and Brodie have to carry a big load this season. Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe inherently trusts them, and while Muzzin, fellow veteran Mark Giordano, Sandin, and Liljegren all will be given responsibility, Keefe is going to lean on Rielly and Brodie more than any other defender.
At a combined salary cap hit of $12.5 million, Brodie and Rielly are a better financial hit than Boston’s top two blueliners (Charlie Lindgren and Hampus Lindholm, who’ll make a combined $16 million this season), as well as those of the New York Rangers (Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba make a combined $17.5 million). But make no mistake – other Stanley Cup-contending teams have found ways to pay their top two defensemen less than the Leafs are paying Rielly and Brodie, and the two veterans are a serious investment by Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. It’s difficult to ask more of them, but it is reasonable to ask for the same from them.
Their games have shown no signs of regression. They’re still worthy of getting the nod from Keefe more often than night upon night. Leafs fans should be comfortable knowing they’re likely to get more of the same terrific performances from Rielly and Brodie once again this year.
-
Ep 60: Vegas Takes Game 1; Panthers Set For Game 2; Cole Caufield
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 11:43 pm
Jim and Chris look at the Golden Knights Game 1 win and look ahead to Game […]
-
Ep 59: Stanley Cup Final Preview; Game 1 Thoughts
by Full Press Coverage on June 4, 2023 at 1:43 am
Jim and Chris give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final between Vegas […]
-
2023 Stanley Cup Final and Los Angeles Kings Talk with Dennis Bernstein
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Jim Biringer speaks with Dennis Bernstein of the FourthPeriod.com, Host of […]
-
2023 Stanley Cup Final Talk - Vegas Golden Knights with Willie G. Ramirez
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 12:39 am
Jim Biringer speaks with Willie G. Ramirez of ESPN Las Vegas, The Sporting […]
-
Ep 83: Stanley Cup Playoffs Are Here; Can Bruins Keep Up Pace?
by Full Press Coverage on April 17, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Ian and Chris are back to give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, […]
-
Ep 82: Bruins Set Wins Record, Pasta Hits 60, Playoffs Around The Corner
by Full Press Coverage on April 10, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins 63rd win of the season, David Pastrnak's […]
-
The Hockey World Revolves Around Toronto
by Jim Biringer on May 23, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey as he is […]
-
S4Ep28 - Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Final Preview
by Jim Biringer on May 16, 2023 at 7:28 pm
Jim is back for the fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey previewing […]
-
Golden Knights at Panthers
by Broken Controller Media on June 8, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Panthers at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on June 5, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Panthers at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on June 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Golden Knights at Stars
by Broken Controller Media on May 29, 2023 at 4:20 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #141: Tend The Goal
by Full Press Coverage on May 25, 2023 at 2:24 pm
The 2023 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs have reached its final four teams, and […]
-
Episode #140: Stone Cold's 4th Line
by Full Press Coverage on May 23, 2023 at 1:41 pm
And then, there were four. The 2023 AHL Division Finals have concluded, […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Thursday, June 8th
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 4:00 pm
After Connor Bedard going #1, who are some prospects to look at for the […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Thursday, June 8th
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Areas of improvement, prospect look and AHL playoffs. Learn more about […]
-
Full Press Islanders - Wednesday, June 7th
by Full Press Coverage on June 7, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Lou Lamoriello holds a press conference yesterday we talk about what was […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 770
by Charlie Saunier on June 6, 2023 at 7:13 pm
Ep 770 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Game 6 & Preview Calder Cup Final […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - Tuesday, June 6th
by Full Press Coverage on June 6, 2023 at 5:20 pm
A brief look at game one of the Stanley Cup Final and potential draft […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Tuesday, April 6th
by Full Press Coverage on June 6, 2023 at 2:00 pm
It is the Connor Bedard show at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Will Connor […]
-
6/8 - Nuggets Dominate; PGA/LIV Merge
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Ian and John discuss the Nuggets Game 2 win over the Heat and the recent […]
-
6/6 - Golden Knights Cruise; NBA Final Heads To Miami
by Full Press Coverage on June 6, 2023 at 2:36 pm
Ian and John discuss the Golden Knights dominating win and look ahead to […]
-
6/5 - Heat Take Game 2; Golden Knights; Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 2:28 pm
Ian and John discuss the Heat's win over the Nuggets, the Golden Knights […]
-
6/2 - Nuggets Take Game 1, Barry Bonds, Stanley Cup Chat w/ Jim Biringer
by Full Press Coverage on June 2, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Ian and John discuss the Nuggets Game 1 win over the Heat, the upcoming […]