Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts column is always a must-read for pretty much every hockey fan. With this being the last time he dispenses wisdom via list format before the all-important trade deadline, every point he brings up is worth hanging off of because, well, trade deadline.
One of his thoughts doesn't have anything to do with the trade deadline, though - but rather, an extension.
22. Sounds like contract talks have started with Morgan Rielly. Next time we hear about it will probably be when he signs.
In the midst of the Toronto Maple Leafs' fire sale (all your picks are belong to us), there are few players you think about extending, but Rielly is easily one of them. Picked fifth overall in 2012 and in the final year of his entry level contract, it's time to re-up the 21-year-old.
Considering just how big a part of the Leafs' future he projects to be, would it be surprising to see him get a big deal? The Leafs can afford that now more than ever; Jake Gardiner and the corpse of Nathan Horton are the only contracts they have signed for the long term, and the amount of cap space the Leafs have with such a young team is probably really infuriating to cap-strapped teams.
Rielly has played 211 NHL games over the past three seasons, scoring 15 goals and 80 points. For comparison's sake, we can look at Dougie Hamilton, who was sitting at 178 GP - 22 G - 83 P as a 21-year-old when he came up for an extension, and he got a six-year, $5.75 AAV deal.
What kind of extension would you sign Morgan Rielly to?
| A long-term deal - he's earned it. | 578 |
| A bridge deal - he still has more to prove. | 273 |