Maple Leafs' Craig Berube defends struggling Morgan Rielly

The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be getting the best version of defenseman Morgan Rielly this season, but that doesn't mean head coach Craig Berube is going to start pointing fingers.

After the Maple Leafs' 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild Wednesday night, several reporters grilled Berube on Rielly's performance, and what he's seen out of the veteran blueliner, who is a team worst minus-18 rating this season:

"Can Morgan play better? Yes, he can. We all know that. He knows that, and he's trying to work through it right now," Berube told reporters postgame. "It's a team game, it's not all on Morgan. Yes, he's a guy that we need offense from, from the back end. He's just got to stick with it, and we'll keep working at it. We'll try to help him as much as we can."

"It's a tough stretch right now with scoring, that's the bottom line, so (we've) just got to battle through it," Berube said. "You can nitpick every little thing," the bench boss added. "Be in front of the goalie more, do this better, do that better. We're always on it, and we're looking for different ways to score, and guys that can do a better job. We've just got to stick with the plan, stick with our game, and not get off track. We'll score."

Rielly has recorded just five goals, and 22 points in 51 games. He's set to earn $7.5 million AAV through the 2029-30 season, and there's been some recent rumors surrounding getting traded to the Vancouver Canucks for J.T Miller.

For now, Rielly is a Leaf, and one the coaching staff is trying to get back on track. 

Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images