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Morgan Rielly’s Suspension Affirmed By NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

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With the fifth and final game of Morgan Rielly’s suspension being set to be served on Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was going to need to get his ruling on Rielly’s appeal made quickly.  That decision has now been made with the league announcing that Bettman has affirmed the five-game ban and that no change will be coming.

The NHLPA filed the appeal last week on Rielly’s behalf.  According to the notes in Bettman’s ruling, they argued that the principal point of contact being the body, Rielly’s history of no supplemental discipline, and that Senators forward Ridly Greig wasn’t injured on the play were reasons to reduce the suspension.  Bettman acknowledged that Rielly’s clean history and the lack of injury were already factored into the decision, suggesting that had this not been the case, the suspension almost certainly would have been considerably longer.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs argued that Greig’s actions (slapping the puck into the empty net in the dying seconds of the game) were provocative, an argument that Bettman felt was “utterly irrelevant”.

While Toronto has certainly missed Rielly at a time when their back end is already thinned out, his absence hasn’t hurt them in the standings as they’ve won all four games and will try to make it five on Wednesday.  He’ll be eligible to return the following night against Vegas.

Joseph Woll Not Close To Returning

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Maple Leafs Recall Marshall Rifai, Loan Dennis Hildeby To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai and sent goaltender Dennis Hildeby back to the AHL. This is just the second call-up of Rifai’s career, with the first coming in October of this season but not resulting in any NHL games. Instead, the 25-year-old defenseman has spent his season with the Toronto Marlies, playing in 34 games and scoring 11 points. He also ranks fourth on the team with 48 penalty minutes.

Rifai is in just his second professional season after playing three years at Harvard University. He earned a contract with the Maple Leafs this summer, after signing a professional try-out with the team at the end of the 2021-22 season. Rifai was persistent in his first AHL season, recording 16 points and a team-leading 118 penalty minutes across 69 games. He became just the sixth AHL rookie since the 2017-18 season to record 100 or more penalty minutes, joining a list led by Montana Onyebuchi’s 137 penalty minutes in just 46 games in 2021-22.

Rifai will hope that his recall proves more fruitful than Dennis Hildeby’s. The 22-year-old goaltender has yet to make his NHL debut, despite spending a combined 16 days on the NHL roster this season. Hildeby has served as the Marlies’ go-to starter when he’s in the AHL, recording 12 wins and a .913 save percentage in 24 games. He’s proven much more reliable in net than backup Keith Petruzzelli, who’s recorded just six wins and a .868 save percentage in 16 games of his own. Hildeby will look to bring a spark back to a Marlies lineup that’s gone 2-4-0 over their last six games, getting outscored 19-to-26.

John Tavares Considered Day-To-Day

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  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their captain tonight, as John Tavares is reportedly considered day-to-day with a minor injury (X Link). Taking a bit of a step back from his previous scoring pace in Toronto, Tavares still sits fifth on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 40 points in 51 games.

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Maple Leafs Offering Volume Of Picks To Try To Add Before Trade Deadline

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With the Maple Leafs not having a second-round pick until 2027 and an anticipated unwillingness to move their first-round pick, their trade chips are certainly limited.  Accordingly, Chris Johnston of The Athletic noted on a recent TSN Insider Trading segment that Toronto has gone with a volume approach when it comes to offering up draft picks for rentals; clearly, nothing has materialized in terms of an accepted trade yet.  They have two extra fifth-round picks and an extra seventh-rounder among their nine selections in June so if they are indeed trying to move some of those extra picks, they’ll likely be forced to shop more towards the depth side of the trade market.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie

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The Maple Leafs have brought up some extra depth on the back end before their game tonight against Anaheim as the team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Maxime Lajoie has been recalled from AHL Toronto.

The 26-year-old has been shuffled back and forth twice already this month although it didn’t result in any playing time.  Lajoie did play four games with the Maple Leafs earlier this season, getting held off the scoresheet while averaging just 9:32 per game.  However, he has been productive in the minors with the Marlies, recording 17 points in 31 appearances so far.  With 74 career NHL contests under his belt, Lajoie has been in the recallable depth role for the past few years now.

Toronto had a full 23-player roster before making this recall so there’s a corresponding roster move that hasn’t officially been announced yet.  Speculatively, that could be blueliner Mark Giordano landing on the non-roster list following the death of his father; Lajoie would then need to be sent back down upon Giordano’s return to the team.  While Morgan Rielly remains out as he continues to serve his suspension, the Maple Leafs don’t get an extra roster spot while he’s out of the lineup.

NHL Grants Morgan Rielly Appeal Tomorrow

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  • Yesterday, the Department of Player Safety issued a five-game suspension to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly due to cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig. Now appealing the suspension, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that Rielly will be offered an in-person appeal hearing in New York tomorrow. Because the suspension is not beyond five games, it will not require an independent arbitrator, meaning that Commissioner Gary Bettman will make the final decision to uphold the decision.

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Martin Jones Likely Out Thursday, William Nylander Uncertain With Illness

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  • Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Jones is still listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will likely remain out tomorrow against the Flyers, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Jones did not dress as the backup for last night’s 4-1 win over the Blues, forcing Toronto to recall 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby to serve as the backup for starter Ilya Samsonov while Joseph Woll remains out with a high ankle sprain. Hildeby will likely back up Samsonov against the Flyers as well, his sixth time dressing for an NHL game this season.

NHLPA Will Appeal Morgan Rielly's Suspension

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  • The NHLPA will file an appeal Wednesday on behalf of Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, who was suspended five games on Tuesday for a cross-check to the face of Senators forward Ridly Greig, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. The appeal for a reduced suspension will go directly to Commissioner Gary Bettman and cannot be forwarded to an independent arbitrator because the initial assessment was less than six games. If Bettman reduces the suspension, but the ruling is not made final until after he’s sat out for five games, Rielly will get a pro-rated salary reimbursed based on the reduction.

Morgan Rielly Receives 5-Game Suspension

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Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has been assessed a five-game suspension as a result of his actions at the end of Saturday’s loss to the Senators, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Tuesday night. Rielly had an in-person hearing today with the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Senators forward Ridly Greig after he scored an empty-net goal with seconds remaining in the game.

In their video statement addressing the incident, DoPS ruled that Rielly “used his stick as a weapon to exact retribution on an opponent.” Rielly, who checked Greig after he scored his empty-net goal via a slapshot, has not been suspended in his 11-year career.

Rielly’s hearing Tuesday was virtual due to inclement weather at league offices in New York but was treated as an in-person hearing regardless. Notably, DoPS did not take advantage of their ability to suspend Rielly for more than five games by offering him an in-person hearing.

By issuing a five-game suspension, DoPS also made their decision ineligible for an appeal process to reach an independent arbitrator. Rielly may still appeal the suspension to league commissioner Gary Bettman, but his decision will be final. Bettman has upheld all three suspensions that have been sent to him for appeal this season – both four-game bans for Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (link) and the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy (link), plus a six-game suspension for Red Wings forward David Perron (link).

Rielly’s absence already puts them in a tough spot over the next week and a half without much depth behind him on defense. An illness bug exacerbates things in the short term, too, as both Mitch Marner and John Tavares are listed as out for tonight’s game against the Blues with an illness. Toronto has shuffled their roster in response, returning defenseman Maxime Lajoie to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan while recalling forward Alex Steeves, who will make his season debut, under emergency conditions.

23-year-old Timothy Liljegren slides up to Toronto’s top pairing in Rielly’s absence, while the left-shot Jake McCabe will take his spot on their top power-play unit. Rielly, 29, leads Toronto defenders in goals (7), assists (36), points (43), and average time on ice (24:21) this season.

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