Morgan Rielly has plenty of time these days to think about his two-month recovery from a broken foot and wonders what might have been.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was injured in an 8-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 12 and did not return until a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 10. Two days later, the NHL season was paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"I'm just happy I played one (game). I think I'd be going crazy if I hadn't played since early January," Rielly said Thursday.
Rielly, who is in self-isolation in North Vancouver, said he's spent a lot of time reflecting on his return to the NHL only to have the season halted shortly afterward.
"It was certainly a long process of trying to heal, trying to keep yourself in shape during the injury of a broken foot," he said. "Eight weeks goes by, you're trying to work hard to just get back. And then to come back and play one game, it's certainly not ideal. But in that same breath, I think that if I hadn't come back and played that one game and still hadn't played that one game since Jan. 12, I think it would have made it worse.
"I think if you look at the big picture, I think you have to be just happy that you got one game in. … But when you're training in the gym and trying to get back to play, you're picturing yourself playing 12, 13 games, then [the Stanley Cup Playoffs], not playing one and taking a pause again."
Rielly said his season reflected that of the Maple Leafs; a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows with some roadblocks along the way. Toronto (36-25-9) is in third place in the Atlantic Division, 11 points behind the second-place Lightning and three points ahead of the Panthers.
"During the pause I [have had] a lot of time to process what happened over the course of the year so far," he said. "You picture things going differently I think, what you like and didn't like about it …
"When I look at the injury on the foot, you don't have control over that. It's a bump in the road. You have to do your best to rehab and try to get healthy. When I did play, there were times in the season I thought I was good and there were times I thought I could have been better.
"Both myself and the team would like to be more consistent and I think that's a goal for us moving forward."
Asked why the Maple Leafs have been so streaky, Rielly said, "I can't put my finger on it."
Rielly set NHL career highs in goals (20), assists (52) and points (72) last season. The 26-year-old has 27 points (three goals, 24 assists) in 47 games this season.
Rielly has been keeping in shape by riding a bike and working out in his home gym. He said the biggest revelation he's had during his self-quarantine is learning the art of cooking, a process that has included barbecuing steaks, chicken and making pasta; anything but fish.
"I don't want to undercook it, and then we have a whole new problem on our hands," he said.
Rielly also has been passing the time reading a book given to him by Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. He opted not to share the title but said it was related to mental health.
"If you've played for Kyle long enough, he's probably given you a book," Rielly said.
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