Team Canada's loss will be the Maple Leafs' gain.

An NHL blueline that needs all the help it can get at this point in the season means Toronto rookie Morgan Rielly will not be part of the world junior team that will travel to Sweden over the Christmas holidays.

Instead, the Sun has learned that when the selection camp roster is announced on Monday, the 19-year-old defenceman, a first-round pick in 2012, will not be released by the Leafs to represent Canada for a second consecutive season.

"I'd say he's a big part of this group right here, right now and we don't see that changing at this point," Leafs vice-president of hockey operations Dave Poulin said on Friday. "That's the way we're looking at it."

Poulin wouldn't confirm that Rielly will not be made available to coach Brent Sutter and the Canadian team, but his comments are revealing.

Under coach Randy Carlyle, Rielly has been an integral part of the struggling Leafs defence. The team can ill afford to release him for so many games.

Rielly, who played a career-high 21 minutes and 20 seconds in Wednesday's shootout loss to Pittsburgh, has been a key part of the rotation. It would be a challenge for the Leafs to send him away for such a long period. On Friday against the Buffalo Sabres, he was a healthy scratch for just the fourth time this season, all part of his learning curve as a pro.

For his part, Rielly said on Friday that the team hasn't indicated what its plans are for him in December and early January, likely because there is no need to do so. If Rielly were to play for Team Canada, he would likely miss as many as 10 NHL games, including the Jan. 1 Winter Classic.

"I play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and my priorities are here," Rielly said following Friday's morning skate. "We'll have to wait and see what happens with Team Canada. Obviously playing here in Toronto is at the top of my list right now.

My goal was to play pro this year and I was able to accomplish that."

At last year's world juniors in Ufa, Russia, Rielly had a goal and two assists in six games. If he was available for this year's edition, he would have likely played an even bigger role for coach Brent Sutter's team, given his development with the Leafs.

rob.longley@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @longleysunsport