NHL training camps are roughly a month away, and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly already has his sights on preparing for the 2026-27 season.
Going into this coming campaign, the Maple Leafs have seen several changes in all areas of the organization. Despite this being one of the busiest off-seasons for Toronto in recent memory, it doesn’t seem to shock Rielly. In fact, he expected and is embracing all the moves ahead of his 14th season with the club.
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“There’s changes every year,” Rielly said at Wednesday’s Hockey Night in Brampton. “I think whenever there’s an overhaul after a down year, as players, you almost want that. I mean, you’re excited and driven and motivated to bounce back and play well. Change comes every year, but you can be excited. I think as a group, we’re just looking forward to getting going, getting playing. Camp’s around the corner now, so it’s important that the camp is good and hard and fast because it’s quick this year.
“Every year has a different feel. I mean, I think, yeah, but I think you can go on about that. Every off-season there’s always change, there’s always new guys coming, always teammates who have a lot of other things. So you just kind of get used to it, to be honest,” he added.
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This off-season, the Maple Leafs added some notable names, including defenseman Darren Raddysh and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, among others.
Another one of those “new guys coming” is the first overall pick from the 2026 draft, Gavin McKenna. He’s gone through a whirlwind of a summer, with off-season training, sponsors, events, the draft itself, and many other responsibilities that come with being a first overall draft pick in the NHL.
Has Rielly been able to chat with McKenna, who will be his youngest teammate, assuming he makes the team out of training camp?
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“Yeah, a bit,” he said. “I mean, he’s had a lot going on. He’s been a busy guy, obviously with the draft, and what that brings and going first overall.”
Regardless, they will get to know each other a little more when training camp comes around, as McKenna will get introduced to all of his new teammates. With that, Rielly knows the caliber of player that McKenna is and can be, so he’s expecting a big presence from him come September.
“It’s a pretty cool off-season for him. I expect him to be at camp, flying around.”
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