Morgan Rielly wasn\u2019t available for the latest Battle of Ontario.<\/p>\n
The Maple Leafs defenceman is dealing with a lower-body injury and will be out of the lineup on a day-to-day basis, the club announced late on Saturday afternoon, a couple of hours before facing the Ottawa Senators.<\/p>\n
Leafs coach Craig Berube told media at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa that Philippe Myers will draw in on the blue line against the Senators.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just made a decision (on Rielly) this morning,\u201d Berube said. \u201cWith him being sick (earlier in the week) and coming back, he aggravated something (against Carolina on Friday), I don\u2019t want it to be an extended-length thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the fourth game that Rielly will miss in what has been a difficult 2025-26 season for the 32-year-old veteran.<\/p>\n
Rielly has been on the ice for 69 goals against at five-on-five, the most in the National Hockey League.<\/p>\n
The latest bad look came on Friday night when he lost to the puck to Carolina Hurricanes defenceman K\u2019Andre Miller during a Leafs power play in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Miller managed to beat Rielly down the ice and score shorthanded on Joseph Woll, giving Carolina its third goal in an eventual 4-3 overtime win.<\/p>\n
Rielly\u2019s future<\/p>\n
Speculation continues to swirl around Rielly\u2019s future with the Leafs, though he does have a no-movement clause on a contract that has four years remaining with an average annual value of $7.5 million US.<\/p>\n
The Leafs went into Saturday night with a record of 5-6-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets. They will be looking to throw an obstacle into the Sens\u2019 path to a potential playoff spot. Ottawa was five points out of the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a competitive game,\u201d Berube said after the loss to Carolina on Friday night. \u201cThey are always a tough team, we know that. They\u2019re going to be fired up to play us, so we have to be prepared and ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Leafs and Senators have beaten each other once this season. They will meet again in Ottawa on April 15 in Game 82 for both teams.<\/p>\n