He still controls where he goes with his NMC
by playing less, will decrease his value if he’s still on the team come next season.
We have seen hundreds of NTC / NMC get waived. Yes, he controls where he lands. But the worse the Leafs get, the better many other alternatives seem.
Seattle makes a lot of sense in terms of a landing spot. Would happily take Vince Dunn in return or literally any 4th liner or mid round pick.
He’s played more than enough to show what he is and what he isn’t. Everybody knows what he’s worth and it’s next to nothing. As the cap goes up, his contract is less of an issue.
If none of the places Rielly wants to play want him then his value is already worthless. Playing him less probably increases his value because it gives him less time to show how garbage he is on defense and he isn’t a threat on the PP anymore either. The important part is to not give up anything to get rid of his contract. Either he sits and rots or he goes for something that isn’t a negative.