Rielly learns to lean on Hainsey
Toronto’s top defensive pair wastes little time finding their chemistry
TORONTO — As much as Morgan Rielly watches video of the things that fellow NHL defencemen Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith and Erik Karlsson do on every shift, the Maple Leafs defenceman isn’t trying to mimic any of those stars.
Eight games into his fifth season in the NHL, the 23-year-old Rielly is content in his own skin.
“I feel like I have become more calm and I feel comfortable playing my own game,” Rielly said after the Leafs practised Sunday at Mastercard Centre.
“You watch guys and it’s like any profession, you try to pick things up along the way to make yourself better, but you want to be yourself. I want to be the best I can be. That doesn’t mean I have to go out and try to do what Karlsson does. I have to do what I can do to help this team.”
Part of Rielly’s approach Monday night when the Leafs play host to the Los Angeles Kings will be to limit what Doughty is capable of accomplishing. Doughty’s game-changing, game-controlling talents are the envy of most defencemen across the NHL. And his ability to read the play is a skill that many have, but not at his level.
Doughty isn’t on the ice all the time, though it can seem like he is. He’s annually among the NHL leaders in ice time, something Rielly respects.
“The minutes he plays, he is really physical, he is good defensively and he will break a play up in his own end and jump right into the rush,” said Rielly, who is fourth on the Leafs in total ice time through eight games. “He gets up and down the ice well.
“I like the way he plays. He can really do it all, so when you look at the D-men around the league, you look at playing a full 200-foot game and being an impactful player. He is exactly what that is.”
As the Leafs have started with a record of 6-2-0, Rielly and veteran Ron Hainsey quickly have meshed into a dependable pair. Though there will be hiccups along the way, the two have earned the trust of coach Mike Babcock. Rielly and Hainsey have been on the ice for 153 and 150 Leafs shot attempts respectively during five-on-five play, putting them atop the Leafs in that category.
Does Rielly think the good chemistry between the two has come faster than he might have imagined it would?
“For sure,” Rielly said. “He has been great. He has been easy to talk to and we’ve had some good conversations on how we can get better. We have confidence in one another.”
For Hainsey, the fact he was partnered with a player of Rielly’s ilk, one who did not have to be shown the ropes, has been a boon.
“Communication is key and for us, we’re going to be good if we’re moving the puck to the forwards fast and supporting them,” Hainsey said. “It’s going to be Morgan up the ice a little more than me most likely.
“Part of that is being on the same page in the neutral zone, where we are cutting teams off and not letting them in our zone and when we do get into our zone, working together to break out quick and then we can go enjoy ourselves in the offensive zone.”
Said Babcock: “(Hainsey) is a good example for (Rielly). He knows where to stand, he knows how to use his stick. The other thing he has on his resume is he has his name on that big silver thing (the Stanley Cup) and that gets guy’s attention too. I think he’s a real positive guy to have.”
Rielly and Hainsey know the test the experienced Kings, the lone NHL club remaining without a loss in regulation in 2017-18, will bring. They’re ready for it.
“We don’t get to see them as much, but we’re aware of how well they are playing,” Hainsey said. “The big guys are still there. It will be a big challenge.”