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The Toronto Maple Leafs made a mistake on July 1. It is not the first one they’ve made, and it certainly won’t be the last. The club signed long-time NHL enforcer Ryan Reaves to a three-year, $4.05 million contract. In theory, the first signing of Leafs GM Brad Treliving was made to improve the club’s physicality and provide some much-needed pushback, which was understandably on the checklist after the Leafs were pushed around in their second-round loss to Florida.
There is only one problem. The 37-year-old is a liability every time he steps on the ice.
After suffering a lower-body injury on December 14, Reaves was placed on injured reserve. The veteran traveled with the club on their recent Western road swing and proclaimed to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he is frustrated and has been ready to return for weeks.
"Yeah, I've been ready for a couple weeks now," Reaves said. "That's a question for (Leafs management). “I am not in those rooms, in those conversations. I'm not going to speculate anything. Just stay ready. And if I get called upon, I do. If I don't, I get my work in."
The reason for Toronto not putting Reaves back in is obvious, he was a boat anchor on the Leafs fourth line for every one of the 21 games he suited up for. In spite of playing just slightly over seven minutes per night, the bruising winger‘s lack of speed made the unit vulnerable (which his -11 in limited play is a testament to). Even when head coach Sheldon Keefe put the defensive responsible David Kampf on the line to help cover for Reaves, the unit was outmatched.
Had the big winger been the player he was a few years back with Pittsburgh or Vegas, then his return would be looked upon as something to look forward to. In his current state, it is something to dread. It has been speculated that Reaves was being purposeful in his comments to force the Leafs hand to be activated and play.
What this should do is give Treliving the final push to correct his mistake and place Reaves on waivers. No one will claim him with two years remaining at a $1.35 million cap hit, but demoting him will open up slightly over $1 million in cap space.
At this point, the Leafs do not appear to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender but are likely an Eastern Conference playoff team. The most important thing for Treliving and head coach Sheldon Keefe between now and the end of the season is to find out what some of their young players are and the only way to do that is to play them. Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, and Pontus Holmberg need to be given priority in the second half.
A demotion to the AHL this year and in the final two years of the deal would result in a cap hit of $200,000, while a buyout this summer would result in a cap hit of $450,000 for the next four seasons.
That might be necessary if he continues to be a distraction. One way or another, Ryan Reaves should have played his last game with Toronto. Whether that will be the case, only Treliving and Keefe know for sure.
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