S2 Morgan Rielly Review

(Posted this last night on HUTDB at https://hutdb.net/17/view/12679)

When the Expansion cards were released, the excitement wasn't exactly there for me. While upgrades are always nice, I was worried about the market impact. What I didn't consider, however, was all the good new cards I could use. That includes this Expansion Morgan Rielly card.

This is BAR NONE the best inexpensive defensive card I have used so far when talking skating. With Team Wheel, he's got extremely high skating. In NHL 17, having that insane skating rating will help both offensively and defensively when pertaining to creating chances. That's where we get into the rating part of the review.

Skating - 9.5

This was an absolute NO-BRAINER of a 9.5 for me. Morgan Rielly turns with absolute precision, darts up and down the ice, and creates chances using his skates. Doing all that is nice, but what about defensive skating too? He is absolutely insane. I have yet to get beat on a breakaway with Rielly back as he is constantly in position and has yet to be caught flat footed for me, which seems to be a huge problem this year. Rielly has found himself on multiple breakaways after speeding up the side boards as well as multiple odd-man rushes just based on his skating! With 91 speed with no synergies added on, Rielly can find himself on just about any team this year.

Shooting - 9.0

Rielly hits the net 90% of the time for me, likely helped by the X-Ray synergy he has. With this synergy, he gains +4 wrist shot and slap shot accuracy alongside +4 to his passing rating. That means his shot accuracy is above 87 for both wrist shots as well as slap shots. As a defenseman, that is imperative if you expect to score the puck. Rielly has 15 goals through 25 games for me, 8 more than my next defenseman in that time frame. Rielly finds the top corners with little issue and can also score in tight if you find him on breakaways which will likely happen if you play aggressively right off of the face-off.

Hands - 9.0

I will say this. Morgan Rielly's hands are just an added bonus to the already glorious card. The importance of having good hands and the ability to protect the puck as a defenseman is majorly overlooked in NHL 17. Rielly can protect the puck in every zone, create chances based on his ability to field any type of pass he receives, as well as just a sheer ability to get the puck off his stick onto a teammates' tape easily. Rielly is an incredibly underrated passer with X-Ray, having a 95 passer rating that rivals defensemen like Nicklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson. Having a defenseman who can break out in his own zone as well as become an offensive weapon in the opposing team's zone is extremely important and Rielly is the perfect guy to have in any situation. So far through 25 games, Rielly has 16 assists, showing he can help offensively both with his shot and his insane hands.

Checking - 9.0

Although Rielly is not the biggest player (6'1, 205 pounds), his body checking is above average for sure. While you won't find him destroying the opponent as he cuts in towards your net, chances are 99% of the time Rielly will bump off the opposing player and be able to gain possession of the puck. The best part of Rielly's checking ability is his uncanny performance when he stick-checks. Rielly not only pokes the puck effectively but will help create chances with his active stick if you so choose to take the opposing team's player on one-on-one. I have yet to have a problem beating a top forward with Rielly's checking ability. He has shown that he can do it all whether it be stick-check, body-check, or even play big on the boards in the corner trapping players of bigger sizes to help gain possession.

Defense - 9.5

Going along with his immense ability in the checking category, Rielly is an insanely good defender. As stated previously, there are very few examples of Rielly being out of position and even when he is, he uses his defensive ability to bail the team out. On multiple one-on-two situations, he has stood his ground and broken up the play or forced a less-than-adequate chance with his defensive ability. With his speed, he's able to stay in front of any forward attacking and with his long stick-reach as well as possessing one of the fastest reaction time of any defenseman in the game. Defense is his bread and butter even while he helps out in every other facet of the game.

I'm all about saving coins and the Expansion Rielly does it all for just a few thousand coins. I would recommend him to any and every HUT player who finds themselves playing competitive HUT games in the higher divisions as well as someone lower who struggles to succeed. This Rielly is a cheap card that can help anyone and everyone be great.