The Toronto Maple Leafs are hosting the Minnesota Wild tonight in what will be Ryan Reaves' first game against his former Wild teammates. However, if you think for one second that Reavo plans to pull up on his hits against his friends, the veteran winger has already confirmed that that won't be the case.
"Sometimes when you're better friends with them, you want to lay them out a little more. Unfortunately for them, I became pretty good friends with all of them." - Reaves on wanting to play extra physical against his former team tonight
Reaves spent 61 games with the Minnesota Wild last season after being traded to Minnesota by the Rangers early on in the season. During his time with the Wild, Reaves racked up 153 hits, so they already know what his game is all about. The real question here is; will we see Reaves drop the gloves tonight for the 2nd time in as many games?
Obviously, the Wild have a few big boys who can handle themselves in Marcus Foligno, Pat Maroon and Ryan Hartman. Similarly, the Leafs have Reaves, as well as feisty wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. Something tells me this is going to be a pretty intriguing game if you count yourself among those who enjoy the post-whistle activity.