Sheldon Keefe Shares His True Thoughts On Morgan Rielly's Suspension

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Tom Banks
February 22, 2024 (7:43 PM)

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Morgan Rielly's suspension was one of the biggest news stories of the year in the NHL, and with his absence set to end tonight, his Head Coach has opened up on the entire situation.

Sheldon Keefe proud of Morgan Rielly for standing up for the team

When asked about the situation now that Rielly is officially back, this is what Keefe had to say;

"Morgan defended the pride of the group and the pride of the logo. In that moment, he shows you how much he cares about our team and what we are doing"

Elaborating further, Keefe knew that Rielly would be held accountable for his actions, but was ecstatic with the way his veteran defenseman stood up for the team, revealing how proud he was by giving the team a wake up call.

"We didn't love the fact that he was going to get held accountable....but he means so much to our team...You can see it in that moment. I thought it was a real wake-up call to our team to get real serious about winning, take care of games, and rally"

Can Toronto push for a Stanley Cup this season?

While Toronto have all the talent in the world, they lack a real grit on the blue line, and with Rielly's actions, the team have been inspired and played their best hockey of the season.

If the Maple Leafs are able to add a star blue liner or two in the coming weeks, this team is a genuine threat to the Stanley Cup, and if Rielly can continue leading the team like this, no one will want to play them when the playoffs get underway.