Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie carrying Leafs load on defence

Toronto's first defensive pairing of Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie have been on a roll recently, giving Leafs fans reason to be confident but the team still needs to add some blue line depth before the trade deadline.

Video Transcript

- Have you ever looked at something and it just made you smile really big for no particular reason? That's me whenever I look at the top pair of Rielly and Brodie. They've been such a stable force on the Leafs' backend this entire season, and especially when you consider how the bottom two pairs haven't been as good. It's so reassuring to see that Keefe is willing to use them in any and all situations. And the fact that they deliver on it every single time. I mean, TJ Brodie is TJ Brodie. He's a defensive stalwart. You know, he's a reliable person.

Morgan Rielly has really turned it up on both ends of the ice and I think we saw a lot of in that game against St. Louis. You know, putting himself in positions to score but also getting back in great positions, as well. You know, diving defensive slides, stick checks and poke checks and steals. And I think when it comes down to, you know, the far stretch of the year, they're going to be relied on even more. You know, it's a really reassuring thing for the Leafs, the fact that Sheldon Keefe can kind of play them in any of these situations. And maybe once they get down to the trade deadline, you know, that's an area that doesn't need to be masked up with. Now, the other pairs, that's a different story, but at least the top pair is fine.