Ryan Reaves wants his legacy to involve bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto
When the Leafs announced that they had signed veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves to a 3-year deal worth $1.35M per season, there were some raised eyebrows in Leafs Nation. It has been the longest-term deal that the Leafs have handed out so far during free agency and Reaves will be 39 when the deal expires.
Per reports, Reaves had a 2-year deal on the table for similar money in Minnesota, but chose to leave the Wild to come to Toronto because of that extra year of term. He was amenable, though, to structuring his contract in a way where it didn't abide by the typical 35+ contract rules, meaning that his cap hit will be mostly bury-able if he is waived and sent down to the Marlies or if decided to retire before the contract was up.
In terms of what Reaves would like his legacy to be, he spoke of his father, Willard Reaves, who was a star for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL, stating that he hopes to do in Toronto what his dad was able to do in Winnipeg; win a championship and become a legend.
Reaves will have his work cut out for him with a Leafs team who has just 1 playoff round win in the Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner era. Now, with the team built to endure a little more of that "playoff style" of hockey, the hope is that the Leafs will be able to compete with the likes of Florida, Vegas and other grinding teams who play heavy, greasy hockey.
We know now that Brad Treliving certainly has a type, and we know that he still plans to make the blueline a little nastier and tougher to play against, so we'll see what he final picture looks like over the next few weeks here. If Reaves and company can change the way they play and change the culture in Toronto, perhaps some playoff success will come with that.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 5 | 397 ANSWERS Ryan Reaves wants his legacy to involve bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto Will the Leafs win a Stanley Cup within the next 3 seasons? | ||
| Yes | 254 | 64 % |
| No | 143 | 36 % |
| List of polls | ||
