Morgan Rielly provides Leafs with list of teams he's willing to be traded to and it's leverage
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 21, 2026 (10:52)
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Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Morgan Rielly hasn't waived his no-movement clause. That one fact changes everything about how this trade story should be read.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Rielly's agent, J.P. Barry, provided Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka with a list of teams the veteran defenseman would consider as trade destinations.
LeBrun notes most teams on that list sit in the Western Conference, with the San Jose Sharks identified as a logical fit.
The Vancouver Canucks, Rielly's hometown team, are reportedly not included.
Re Morgan Rielly: "His agent, J.P. Barry, gave Leafs management a list of teams; My understanding is that most of those teams are...in the Western Conference, but there's also a sense that there could be flexibility."
- Pierre LeBrun
- Pierre LeBrun
That framing has dominated the conversation. But Chris Johnston of TSN clarified the same day that Rielly has not yet given Chayka the green light to waive that clause.
No waiver means no trade, regardless of what any list says.
The list is a negotiating tool
Submitting a trade preference list while holding a no-movement clause is a standard power move for a veteran player navigating an exit.
It signals cooperation without actually committing to one. Rielly, who has played all 951 career games as a Toronto Maple Leaf, understands exactly how much control that clause gives him.
LeBrun himself buried the real detail: teams not on the list could still get a deal done if Chayka brought a compelling enough offer.
That caveat effectively makes the list optional. Rielly is shaping the conversation, not surrendering the outcome.
What Chayka needs before the draft
The 2026 NHL Draft opens June 26. If Chayka wants to attach Rielly's $7.5 million cap hit to a deal that generates real assets, he needs that NMC waiver before teams finalize their draft boards.
The window is narrowing.
Rielly at 32, with four years remaining on his contract and a declining defensive impact, still carries real value to a rebuilding Western Conference club.
But he knows it. And right now, he's the one running this timeline.
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