On June 25, 2016, less than an hour after the conclusion of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Rychel was traded by the Blue Jackets to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Scott Harrington and a conditional 5th round pick (condition was not met). The Maple Leafs were rumoured to be one of the teams most interested in Rychel following his earlier trade request. On February 25, 2018, Rychel was traded along with Rinat Valiev and a 2018 second-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Tomáš Plekanec and Kyle Baun.