The Toronto Maple Leafs could very well be faced with some difficult decisions over the next 48 hours as the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline approaches, as they’ve fallen further and further out of the postseason race and could very well not play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season for what would be the first time since 2016.
The Maple Leafs already made a massive change during the offseason, dealing Mitch Marner in a major sign-and-trade move to the Vegas Golden Knights, and have struggled to replace the 102 points that he produced in what proved to be his final campaign with the club.
Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving could soon part ways with one or more players, and although veteran defenseman Morgan Rielly, the longest-tenured member of the team, has surfaced in trade rumors, it appears his future with the club has already been decided.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs Aren’t Expected To Trade Veteran Defenseman Morgan Rielly, The Longest-Tenured Member Of The Club
Rielly, who still has multiple seasons left on his current contract, isn’t expected to go anywhere as reported by Insider Nick Kypreos.
Instead, the Maple Leafs are more likely to trade Swedish native Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is playing in his second season with the club after signing a free-agent contract following a Stanley Cup-winning season with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24.
As Kypreos noted, it doesn’t appear as though there is much interest in Rielly from opposition NHL clubs, meaning he’ll likely stay a member of the team.
“The Leafs are asking for a lot in an Ekman-Larsson deal,” Kypreos wrote. “It will be tricky because of his age, and chances are if you’re a contending team, you’re not necessarily looking for a top-four defenceman, so what is the market for OEL? The Oilers do need a top-four addition, which is why they have been connected to Ekman-Larsson. If Toronto moves a notable defenceman, it’ll be him. There is no market for Morgan Rielly, and the Leafs have Jake McCabe on an affordable long-term deal.”
Rielly, who has skated in 58 games so far this season, has tallied eight goals while adding 24 assists. He’s averaged 21:31 of ice time, and has also posted a minus-24 rating.
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson Is Playing In His Second Season With The Maple Leafs
Ekman-Larsson, who was originally a first-round pick (sixth overall) of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2009 NHL Draft, has played for multiple teams in his NHL career.
He spent 11 years with the Coyotes, and was even named their team-captain in 2018 after agreeing to an eight-year, $66 million contract.
However, his time with the Coyotes came to a close in 2021 when he was traded (with Conor Garland) to the Vancouver Canucks in return for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, a 2021 first-round pick (Dylan Guenther), a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick.
He played two seasons with the Canucks before the final year of his contact was bought out, and he agreed to join the Panthers in 2023 on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. In his only season with the Panthers, he won the first Stanley Cup of his career while contributing two goals with four assists in 24 postseason games in 2024.
Weeks later, he signed a four-year, $14 million deal with the Maple Leafs.
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