When the Leafs signed Ryan Reaves to a 3-year deal this summer, it was understood that a large part of the motivation behind the move was that Reaves was a really good guy to have in the room. Reaves' very loud personality and penchant for bringing guys together are important assets to any team. The Leafs are now seeing first hand what type of atmosphere Reaves helps to create for his team.
We got a glimpse of Reaves' shenanigans on Wednesday before the Leafs' home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, as he made sure to stand nice and close to teammate Max Domi during his rink-side interview with Sportsnet. Just prior to the interview wrapping up, Reaves gave Domi a blast of ice cold water down the neck, which certainly caught the 2nd generation NHLer by surprise.
Right from his first interview after signing his contract, it became abundantly clear that there was never going to be a dull moment with Reavo around. We see it every time he's in front of the microphone and we saw it on the ice during the pre-season. During Wednesday's matchup with the Habs, Reaves showed us what he's all about, laying some heavy hits and engaging in some first period fisticuffs with Habs' juggernaut Arber Xhekaj. He ended his night with a shot on goal, a fighting major and 3 hits in just over 8 minutes of ice time.
Sheldon Keefe praised Reaves' defensive efforts during the pre-season and identified the trio of Reaves, Kampf and Gregor as one of the Leafs' best lines in the home opener. It's safe to say he's fitting in very well in the early going.
