Trade and true bonding method

Fantasy football gets competitive juices flowing for teammates

Morgan Rielly says the trade offers usually start flying as soon as the Maple Leafs board their bus or plane.

The proposals, however, have nothing to do with hockey.

Instead, the Toronto defenceman and his teammates will throw out potential swaps in their fantasy football league to see if there are any takers.

“It’s almost automatic to talk trade to the guy in the seat in front of you,” said Rielly, whose eyes lit up when a recent conversation turned to fantasy sports. “Then they’ll turn around and be like, ‘Are you joking?’ There’s a lot of banter.”

For the uninitiated, fantasy sports involves competitors drafting players from professional leagues — in this case, the NFL — to go up against friends, co-workers or even strangers. And in the case of many NHLers, their teammates.

Leagues usually range anywhere from eight to 12 teams, with everyone paying an entry fee and the winner taking the majority of the pot at season’s end.

“It’s cool to make trades and try to fleece guys a little bit,” said Rielly, the Leafs’ most recent fantasy football champion. “It definitely gets competitive. In a weird way, it brings guys together.”

Fantasy football is big across NHL dressing rooms as players jockey for year-end bragging rights. It’s also a way to bond and unplug from the pressures of their day jobs.

Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba described his team’s fantasy league as “crazy” during the early months of the NHL schedule.

“That’s all we talk about,” he said. “Last year I remember guys taking each other out for dinner and trying to work trades. It’s hilarious. Then football season is over and there’s this week of, like, sombreness.

“Nobody knows how to talk to each other if it’s not about football. It’s a transition period.”

Calgary forward Sam Bennett said the Flames had issues with trade offers involving bribes similar to the ones Dumba mentioned, but put a stop to the practice.

“You’re not allowed to trade money or dinner,” said Bennett, who was victorious two years ago. “There’s lot of chirping about the teams and the picks.”

The Vancouver Canucks’ success on the ice this season hasn’t translated to captain Bo Horvat’s fantasy roster.

“It’s my first year,” he said. “You can tell, because I suck. My team’s the worst.”

While fantasy sports get NHLers’ competitive juices flowing, it can also help with the integration of new players.

The Leafs underwent a roster overhaul this summer that included the addition of forwards Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Shore, as well as defencemen Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci.

All four are now part of the team’s fantasy football setup.

“It’s hard to be a sports fan and not be in a fantasy league,” Kerfoot said.

“It makes guys feel comfortable,” Rielly added. “Especially guys that might be new to a team and has played fantasy before, he’s right in the mix.”

But the blue-liner does have one criticism of Toronto’s league — that star forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner share a team.

“They’re such losers,” Rielly said with a smile. “You shouldn’t be able to do that.”