Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri Agree to New Contracts with Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up two pieces of their future core Wednesday by signing defenseman Morgan Rielly and forward Nazem Kadri to long-term contract extensions.

The Leafs confirmed both players agreed to six-year deals on their official site. The duo combined for 81 points during the 2015-16 campaign.    

Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the average annual value for Rielly's deal is $5 million, and Kadri checks in at $4.5 million.

Toronto is currently in a much-needed rebuilding process. It's qualified for the postseason just once since the league's 2004-05 lockout and finally decided to go all-in on revamping the roster, which resulted in a last-place finish this season.

The Leafs front office will hope that allows the team to pick inside the top three once the draft lottery is complete. In the meantime, the organization locked up a couple of the bright spots from a mostly forgettable season.

Kadri, 25, led the team in scoring with 45 points (17 goals and 28 assists). He's already got 326 career games under his belt and should be entering his peak seasons. It puts him in line to become an ideal No. 2 center if the team can add super prospect Auston Matthews or potential free agent Steven Stamkos.

He was asked about his status ahead of February's trade deadline and confirmed he hoped to become part of the solution in Toronto, per Mark Spector of Sportsnet:

"

Age has a lot to do with it. If you're younger, starting to develop, your potential is high, I'm guessing there's more of a chance for you to stay.

Hopefully I'm part of the future. I get pretty good vibes. I'm playing as hard as I can every single night. I just play hard. I want to play hard for this team.

"

Rielly, 22, paced the Toronto blueliners with 36 points (nine goals and 27 assists) while appearing in all 82 regular-season games. While those aren't jaw-dropping numbers, he's made steady progress in each of his three seasons and should hit his prime just as the team's overall talent level improves markedly.

Getting those contracts done was a key piece of the offseason for Toronto, with both players previously set to become restricted free agents. Finishing them just days after the season ended allows the front office to focus its efforts elsewhere in the months ahead.

As mentioned, the next big stop for the Leafs will be the draft lottery, which Damien Cox of Hockey Night in Canada reported will take place April 30. If they get a top-three pick to land Matthews, Patrik Laine or Jesse Puljujarvi, the rebuild will take a major leap forward.

Even if they ultimately slide down to fourth, however, the Leafs are back on the right track, and re-signing Kadri and Rielly is another positive step.