Klingberg or Rielly: Maple Leafs’ Defense Trade Deadline Dilemma

The Toronto Maple Leafs may need to make a tactical choice to forgo goals and points from the blue line if they are having trouble limiting goals against. If that’s the case, who should the team offer in exchange for a player during the NHL Trade Deadline: John Klingberg or Morgan Reilly?

One player (Rielly) is under contract and could soon play a significant role in a team’s defense. The second player, Klingberg, is a rental who might be the short-term component a contending team needs to run their power play.
Both could be valuable to other teams, but for very different causes.

The Leafs Moving John Klingberg: Why?

Speculation about a one-year contract has John Klingberg once more in its crosshairs.
The defenseman was signed to a comparable contract with the Anaheim Ducks last year before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, demonstrating the league’s propensity for taking such calculated risks.
Did he sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs having the same thought in mind?

NHL Dallas Stars John Klingberg.

Reputable journalist Jonas Siegel from The Athletic weighed in on the situation and made a daring prediction for the Maple Leafs’ season.
While praising Klingberg’s offensive prowess and expressing doubts about his defensive ability, Siegel thinks Toronto may trade him.

According to Siegel, who was speculating on Toronto’s plan of attack, “Klingberg is going to put up numbers…
It’s the defensive stuff that gives me pause. He emphasized Klingberg’s $4.15 million cap hit, portraying him as a potential asset to improve the team’s defensive lineup.
He could give a contender a temporary boost as a rental, giving them access to the specialist they might need to overcome their own playoff obstacle.

Siegel’s theory fits with the strategic environment of the NHL, where player values can change significantly depending on performance, though it is not a given.

The Maple Leafs Are Not Trading Rielly, So Why?

Klingberg’s potential value surge is obvious now that he is sporting a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
Although management’s choice to sign him amid an overabundance of power-play quarterbacks (including Morgan Rielly) raised eyebrows, Klingberg’s performance in the opening game suggested the decision might pay off.
He played a significant number of minutes and recorded two assists.
Stranger things have happened, so it’s possible. What if he enters the scene and has such a strong season that he makes Rielly expendable?

A Toronto Maple Leafs player is Morgan Rielly.

Toronto might believe that Klingberg is the player they should go with given the possibility that the Maple Leafs will choose him over Rielly to direct their power play.
If that’s the case, Treliving might try to move Rielly in order to give the Leafs a strong defender so they can take care of their more urgent needs.
To be honest, if Klingberg develops offensively, his value to Toronto could skyrocket, but the team might be able to sign him for less than they are paying Rielly, saving them money on their long-term cap and allowing them to pay William Nylander this offseason or Mitch Marner the following year.
If signed to a multi-year contract, Klingberg’s cap hit could theoretically be $2 million less per season than Rielly because it is manageable for Toronto.

One crucial point to keep in mind is that Rielly has a complete no-move clause.
In order to find a team that he’s willing to join, the Leafs would need to persuade him to waive his contract. He might change his mind if he realizes that he will be Klingberg’s sidekick for a long time, but that is a very remote possibility.

Making this choice won’t be simple.

Trading either player would be a calculated move that demonstrates Toronto’s willingness to look outside the box for new ways to bolster its roster if the Maple Leafs discover they need more defense from the blue line than offense.
If Klingberg enters this season and has a career year surrounded by elite offensive players, it might be difficult to convince people to sign him. In Rielly’s situation, the defenseman will have the majority, if not the entire, of the negotiating power.

Klingberg develops into the player to watch as the NHL Trade Deadline gets closer.
Being the much easier player to trade, his play could make him an appealing option.