Quoting: Bridge
Hedman and Rielly earn essentially the same. Much prefer Hedman's penalty killing ability and physical presence, nevermind his Conn Smyth, Norris Trophy and two Stanley Cups. And he's produced offense at a higher rate than Reilly over his career. Wasn't Rielly a whipping boy for Leafs fans this year? You must be the only person who would take Rielly over Hedman, but I respect your passion and persistence for Rielly. I also like Rielly but at the same salary I'm taking Hedman every time, no brainer.
Again, if it's based of of pedigree, Hedman should be there 10 times out of 10, but, if we are going off of who's better, Rielly played way better than Hedman in these playoffs
Anybody who's says that Rielly was at fault in any season doesn't know sh1t about hockey, it's obviously he's still one of, if not, the best defensemen in the league but is being overused by the Leafs these past few years bc he can and that the Leafs typically have 1/2 struggling defensemen that require Rielly to take on extra hard minutes... There's a reason why the Oilers and others waited until Rielly's extension to sign their guys at 1.5/3 mill more than Rielly, it's bc he was their target... him taking a discount shows character and heart.
But again, if you're only taking form under consideration, Lilly+Rielly>>>>>Hedman+Mike Rielly