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Toronto Maple Leafs: Is Rielly’s Ideal Partner Anyone But Zaitsev?

Toronto Maple Leafs defenders Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev have seen a lot of time together at 5v5 – nearly 64% of Rielly’s total 5v5 time.

Of the defenders who have seen the ice at 5v5 with Rielly – which is all of them – only Zaitsev ranks below 50% corsi-for percentage when together.

Jake Gardiner has always been a good partner for Rielly, but that’s considered black magic so odds are that will never happen. The resident punching bag, Martin Marincin, has found success while paired with Rielly, though his shortcomings are increasingly evident lately.