Ryan Reaves no longer fits on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster

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Chris Gerics
September 23, 2024 (1:18 PM)

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Ryan Reaves has been a decent addition to the Maple Leafs as an enforcer, but his time with the team is numbered thanks to the revamped forward corps.

Given his time with the Maple Leafs, Ryan Reaves made his name for throwing his body and his fists around whenever necessary, often finding himself against some of the league's toughest fighters.

But what he offers in terms of his on-ice production and how the team plays with him on the ice, regardless of his fisticuffs; should be cause for concern. For both fans and Reaves himself, who will find himself on the outside looking in thanks to the emergence of Toronto's rookies, and their free agent signings.

The opening roster of the Toronto Maple Leafs should include the best of the best that the team has to offer, in order to maximize their potential and allow their best squad to gather the chemistry needed for a deep playoff run. Reaves unfortunately doesn't have a place on that roster, and it's not for a lack of trying; it's just a new game now. Reaves sticks out like a sore thumb on the roster sheet among names like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Chris Tanev; heck even Fraser Minten or Nikita Grebenkin could find themselves suiting up in blue and white come October 11th. Speaking of Grebenkin:

The Russian rookie endeared himself mightily to both fans and teammates for his scrappy behaviour and willingness to fight; though it's not unlike Grebenkin to throw hands, as junior prospect analyst Ryan Ma reports: he's had a few scraps in the KHL:

If Grebenkin is willing to do Reaves job and also produce on the scoresheet (something Reaves isn't too privy to) then it gives even more credence to the fact Reaves doesn't belong. Toronto is trying to have a new strategy and gameplan in mind; big bodies, elite defense, and more depth in their scoring. Reaves provides one of the three, and just being big doesn't mean you should play.

Let's take a look at the current projected lineup for the Maple Leafs for 2024-2025:

Knies -- Matthews -- Marner
Domi -- Nylander -- McMann
Pacioretty -- Tavares -- Grebenkin
Holmberg -- Kampf -- Dewar

Rielly -- Tanev
Ekman-Larsson -- Benoit
Liljegren -- Timmins

Woll
Stolarz

Now that lineup doesn't even include the likes of Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, Steven Lorentz or even Alex Nylander. All of those players offer much more than Reaves can, whether it be scoring, defense, faceoff advantage, youth, speed, playmaking; you name it, they have it.

Reaves historically is not a good defender, and with him on the ice for Toronto; the team gave up a staggering 22 goals against with a 3.36 G/60 (basically, Toronto was averaging nearly 3.5 goals against every time Reaves was on the ice). That has no place in today's NHL, let alone for a franchise desperate to find playoff success; he's not Tie Domi or Darcy Tucker, two enforcers that while scrappy, also produced points at a much higher rate than Reaves.

Reaves himself is not untalented. Clearly, he's been able to build himself a career in the hardest league in professional hockey; he's scored goals and he's gotten himself in the middle of some big scraps. Off the ice, he's a gentleman and always has a kind word for his teammates, like in New York. It's just his style of game is antiquated, and doesn't translate to success when he plays. The Maple Leafs need a change, and Reaves has to be the catalyst, perhaps indirectly.

It's been an offseason of changes for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A new head coach, a crop of new faces and a brand new captain signal the beginning of a new era for the team. For Ryan Reaves though, he'll have to be an observer from the outside this time around.