The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new defensive structure worked well in the club’s 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Specifically, Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe formed a new pairing on the blueline that left all parties leaving Scotiabank Arena feeling promising.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held a practice on Monday in preparation for their evening matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and with it came another shake-up on defense. Morgan Rielly, who has spent much of the past month skating alongside Philippe Myers, found himself paired with Jake McCabe at the morning skate.

Craig Berube isn’t down on Morgan Rielly. Though the veteran defenceman’s game isn’t at the level that many have come to expect, Berube cut Rielly some slack on Monday. “Coming in with the way we wanted to play and do things defensively and become a better defensive hockey team,

Morgan Rielly has been Toronto's longest tenured defender and been their anchor for over a decade, but a relatively new face has emerged as the true blueline star.

NHL insider Chris Johnston recently spoke about the importance of Jake McCabe to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While trade rumors swirl around Morgan Rielly, Johnston talked about McCabe’s strong play and steady presence on the team’s blue line.

Morgan Rielly’s assist on Monday against Tampa Bay marked just the third time since Nov. 9 he’s managed points in consecutive games. He’s at 22 in 48 total games, way off his pace in his best years, up in the 50-to-60 range.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' decision to demote defenseman Morgan Rielly has led to even better results than anyone could have imagined. Heading into Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, it was already becoming pretty clear that Morgan Rielly was no longer the Maple Leafs' top defenseman.

The Maple Leafs captain is scoring all the time again, but is he back to peak Matthews? Also, what's behind Rielly's struggles?