Masterton: Defenceman Rielly gets nod for his perseverance, and he’s just 23
When Morgan Rielly looks around the Maple Leafs locker room, he can see a lot of end-of-the-season award possibilities.
Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner are worthy candidates for the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year. If the Leafs make the playoffs, coach Mike Babcock should be considered for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.
Alhough they might be longshots, Matthews (14 penalty minutes) could get consideration for the Lady Byng as the league’s most gentlemanly player, and Nazem Kadri could warrant a look for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward.
“There’s no question about the talent with these young guys,” Rielly said. “You can feel a good thing going on here, a good thing building.
“I think it’s important that we keep it going in that direction, we don’t get complacent, that we come here everyday and try to get better as players, try to get better as people, and not take any step backwards.”
Rielly is up for the Bill Masterton Trophy, nominated by the Toronto chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. All 30 chapters select a nominee, followed by leaguewide voting by the beat writers. The winner will be announced in June.
Rielly, at 23, is a bit of an unusual choice for an award that often goes to an older player, or one that has gone through an ordeal or overcome an illness.
Rielly, who broke into the NHL in the Leafs’ lean years, fits the definition of the award — “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
“It’s not really something you go into a year looking to achieve,” he said. “You try to be the best you can be. We have lots of guys in this room that try to do that.”
Rielly’s effort for the North American team in the World Cup of Hockey could have him in line for a spot with Canada at the Olympics next year, if NHL players participate.
“He’s an elite player, he loves hockey, he’s got a good engine,” Babcock said. “He’s comes with energy every day. I think he’s one of the best young players in the world.”
Rielly, who missed two weeks at mid-season with a high-ankle sprain, is completing his fourth NHL season. He is the Leafs’ top defenceman and is third in the league at 30.9 shifts per game.
“Over the course of time, there’s adversity for everybody,” he said. “It’s a good thing to go through tough times. You learn how to deal with it. You mature, you grow, you learn a lot about yourself. You learn how to deal with it.
“Down the road, you can always draw from past experiences.”
He recently appeared in his 300th NHL game, and his maturity has been recognized with his promotion to alternate captain. In what many call the sport’s most demanding market, Rielly has always been exceedingly cooperative with the largest pool of media in the NHL and the club’s various community efforts.
“What he gives to this team, he’s one of the heartbeats of this locker room,” forward Connor Brown said. “He gets along with everybody. He had that injury, and battled, and is playing excellent hockey.”