Jake Gardiner, Roman Polak, Matt Hunwick, Martin Marincin, and Connor Carrick have all been heavily criticized. One guy that constantly falls under the radar is Morgan Rielly. Why is he overlooked? And why is he often left unscathed by analysts? I would argue that it is a case of mistaken identity on the Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line.
We have labeled Morgan Rielly as a top defenseman. The best of the group and therefore untouchable . Despite being the core of the Toronto Maple Leafs defense, any criticism of him seems to be sacrilegious and others like Gardiner become the poster boy for missed assignments and boneheaded pinches along the boards.