Former NHL enforcer accuses Ryan Reaves of ducking him, admits to loving the Reaves deal for the Leafs
The addition of Ryan Reaves has been largely a positive one for the Leafs, if you ignore the initial cringe at the 3-year term and the $1.35M cap hit that many had felt this summer, when the 36-year-old had signed in Toronto as a free agent.
So far, through 2 games, Reaves has racked up approximately 18 minutes of ice time in total and has 8 hits, 2 fights and a shot on goal, but perhaps the most important intangible that he brings to the table is how he makes the guys around him feel in that locker room. Just this weekend, Auston Matthews awarded Reaves with the Maple Leafs championship belt, given to the player of the game following each win and credited the veteran enforcer with "setting the tone for the boys" in each of their first two wins of the season.
The importance of a guy like Reaves in the locker room is something that has not only been noticed by the team, but also by a former NHL enforcer who sees real value in Reaves for a Toronto Maple Leafs team who has lacked a guy like him for some time. This morning, John Scott joined TSN 1050's First Up and gave his thoughts on the addition of Reaves in Toronto. Scott first threw a bit of a jab out at Reaves, joking that the Leafs winger tried to duck him during a 2011 fight, but then went into some depth as to why the Leafs are going to benefit from signing him.
Since the Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren days, I think they went 'we'll bring in a Kyle Clifford, we'll bring in a Wayne Simmonds... those guys are kind of tough, but this is the biggest top dog in the NHL and everybody knows it... And the good thing about Ryan Reaves is he's fast, he can get in on the forecheck, I think he's proven it the first two games, he's been laying guys out... You've gotta make yourself relevant other than just dropping the gloves, so he's good for this team.
He's a good guy. He's going to definitely make up his contract there. When he signed, I said 'Reavo, you're overpaid, how do you do it?' But I'm teasing because he does other things that nobody sees to make up for the lack of offensive production on the ice." - John Scott on Ryan Reaves
The Leafs are 2-0-0 in the Reaves era, so maybe there's something to the aura he brings to the team. In years past, when the team was faced with adversity, they'd fold more often than not. Take the Montreal game, for example. The Leafs were down 5-3 in the third period against an inferior opponent. In the past, that might have been a game that they had lost. However, the confidence they have this year allowed them to battle back and secure the 6-5 shootout win.
Was their win directly because of Reaves? No, but we can't rule out the fact that the players in the locker room had stated after the game that Reaves' big hits and fight with Arber Xhekaj fired them up. The energy that a guy like Reaves provides is felt throughout the lineup and in each of the last two games, guys have been vocal about what Reaves has brought to the team. That can't be overlooked and John Scott made sure to affirm that this morning.
The Leafs are back at it tonight as they welcome Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks to Scotiabank Arena for their last game of a 3-game homestand before hitting the road.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 16 | 64 ANSWERS Former NHL enforcer accuses Ryan Reaves of ducking him, admits to loving the Reaves deal for the Leafs How many penalty minutes will Ryan Reaves rack up for the Leafs this season? | ||
| 50-75 | 7 | 10.9 % |
| 76-100 | 18 | 28.1 % |
| Over 100 | 36 | 56.3 % |
| Penalty minutes are dumb | 3 | 4.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
