In a year where there was a clear winner for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was decided before the new year (Ottawa Senators’ Craig Anderson), and no real story going on with one individual player on the Maple Leafs, it was a tos sup of who would be the Maple Leafs nominee for the award.
It’s been revealed that Morgan Rielly is the person we’ve been waiting for.
The Toronto chapter of the PHWA has nominated defenceman Morgan Rielly as the #Leafs candidate for the Masterton Trophy
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) March 28, 2017
The PHWA rational is here:
Perseverance has played a role for Rielly since before the Maple Leafs drafted him in 2012. After suffering a devastating ACL injury while playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors in November 2011, Rielly spent the winter rehabbing hard enough to make it back for the Western Hockey League postseason.
The time he missed slightly pushed him down the draft rankings, allowing Toronto to pick him at No. 5, but the dedication and work ethic Rielly demonstrated in his recovery made the selection that much easier for the Maple Leafs.
“When we researched him that’s what kept coming up…this kid never viewed the injury as a setback – he viewed it as a challenge,” former general manager Brian Burke said post-draft. “He met that challenge with legendary workouts he did to rehab. The way he attacked [his] recovery was impressive.”
Rielly is approaching a career high in goals and points this season if he keeps up his current pace, and after suffering a high ankle sprain earlier this season, he has the dedication to the game to get the nod.
Over the past few days here we’ve been running a poll to find out which member of the Maple Leafs our readers would have chosen, and here are the results:
Who would you make the Maple Leafs nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy?
| Frederik Andersen | 16 |
| Brian Boyle | 2 |
| Tyler Bozak | 65 |
| Connor Brown | 8 |
| Connor Carrick | 2 |
| Eric Fehr | 1 |
| Jake Gardiner | 4 |
| Matt Hunwick | 3 |
| Zach Hyman | 5 |
| Nazem Kadri | 185 |
| Leo Komarov | 13 |
| Josh Leivo | 7 |
| Alexey Marchenko | 0 |
| Martin Marincin | 0 |
| Mitchell Marner | 9 |
| Matt Martin | 4 |
| Auston Matthews | 6 |
| Curtis McElhinney | 5 |
| William Nylander | 9 |
| Roman Polak | 12 |
| Morgan Rielly | 5 |
| Ben Smith | 6 |
| Nikita Soshnikov | 0 |
| James van Riemsdyk | 8 |
| Nikita Zaitsev | 12 |
PPP Readers overwhelmingly chose Nazem Kadri as the nominee for Masterton, with Tyler Bozak coming in a distant second place. Kadri has transformed his game under Mike Babcock, and Tyler Bozak recently played in his 500th NHL game and set a career high in points - an excellent story for an undrafted NCAA free agent signing.
Morgan Rielly is the man who the Toronto PHWA felt best represented the Masterton. Is he the best choice? Have your say below.
Did the Toronto PHWA make the right choice?
| Yes. Rielly has earned the nomination. | 141 |
| No. I’m with PPP and it should be Kadri. | 181 |
| No. I’m on Team Bozak. | 28 |
| I think it should have been someone else. (Share in the comments) | 3 |