Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign F Ryan Reaves (3 years, $1.3M AAV)

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Leafs could trade Reaves for Mcdavid and you’d still complain lol.

I have lost ALL faith in this franchise.

That's not gonna change any time soon either. Not until major changes are made to both the roster and management. Or, heaven forbid, they go deep into the playoffs.

When they start doing something worth cheering I'll cheer for them again.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

As anyone on here who has played junior or pro hockey knows all to well having da toughest guy on da ice on your bench makes everyone else on team play a foot taller and much more tough .. and it makes every single guy on other bench think twice before doing anything stupid ..

Real simple ..don't overthink .. spreadsheets are not relevant here

Hell I even saw that playing houseleague at 14 lol.
Pull shit with matthews and Marner and Reaves will find you and see how you react to the same. Puts players in their place. Intimidation factor is mitigated.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

I have lost ALL faith in this franchise.

That's not gonna change any time soon either. Not until major changes are made to both the roster and management. Or, heaven forbid, they go deep into the playoffs.

When they start doing something worth cheering I'll cheer for them again.

No one is forcing you to cheer for the leafs.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

No one is forcing you to cheer for the leafs.

This old line again.

There's no gun to my head. So find something else to do. Watch them again when they reach the finals.

Spoken like a true bandwagoner.

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. I actually like watching hockey. It's fast and exciting and enjoyable.

I also know how lucky I am as a fan that my hometown team is the flagship franchise of NHL.

I've seen worse iterations of this team. What I haven't seen is such wasted opportunity before. It's reached a point where I almost feel like I have to cheer for my favourite team to lose again.

It's the only way I see them making the necessary changes needed to move forward.

 

[smitty10]

This old line again.

There's no gun to my head. So find something else to do. Watch them again when they reach the finals.

Spoken like a true bandwagoner.

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. I actually like watching hockey. It's fast and exciting and enjoyable.

I also know how lucky I am as a fan that my hometown team is the flagship franchise of NHL.

I've seen worse iterations of this team. What I haven't seen is such wasted opportunity before. It's reached a point where I almost feel like I have to cheer for my favourite team to lose again.

It's the only way I see them making the necessary changes needed to move forward.

Do you like watching hockey though? You're complaining about how shitty the team is while Auston Matthews is in his prime. We are literally watching the best player who had ever played for our beloved franchise and all you can focus on is the lack of winning a Cup. That's obviously everyone's dream, however there are 32 teams and only 1 team wins. There are a lot of positives to focus on if you can get passed the fact that winning the Cup isn't a layup.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

This old line again.

There's no gun to my head. So find something else to do. Watch them again when they reach the finals.

Spoken like a true bandwagoner.

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. I actually like watching hockey. It's fast and exciting and enjoyable.

I also know how lucky I am as a fan that my hometown team is the flagship franchise of NHL.

I've seen worse iterations of this team. What I haven't seen is such wasted opportunity before. It's reached a point where I almost feel like I have to cheer for my favourite team to lose again.

It's the only way I see them making the necessary changes needed to move forward.

Spoken like a true bandwagoner? I’ve been a fan since I was a toddler. I definitely have way more loyalty to this franchise and actually believe in them.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Hell I even saw that playing houseleague at 14 lol.
Pull shit with matthews and Marner and Reaves will find you and see how you react to the same. Puts players in their place. Intimidation factor is mitigated.

There is really no ref in hockey to stop it .. refs are reactionary .. goons are precautionary .. as long as hockey remains a physical game where intent to injure affects outcomes then da biggest baddest guy will help .. and for many of us who fund da Leafs we would stop going to games if hockey became a game of pure skill without physical aggression .. but in time most of us from old era will be gone and i think in 20 years hockey will be a completely different game where guys like Dubie may in fact do well

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Pretty hyped to see Reaves in the blue and white soon. We’ve been missing that kind of swagger

 

[Leafs87]

Pretty hyped to see Reaves in the blue and white soon. We’ve been missing that kind of swagger

Concerned about his age and how the contract will hold up but otherwise me too

 

[Hellcat]

All it will take is one Rado Gudas hit and the Told Ya so's will be out... Told ya so ... goons don't do nothing to prevent our players from getting hit.

In a society where its close to illegal to be a manly man, seeing manly men do manly men things in a game that use to have manly men is a wonderful thing.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I have lost ALL faith in this franchise.

That's not gonna change any time soon either. Not until major changes are made to both the roster and management. Or, heaven forbid, they go deep into the playoffs.

When they start doing something worth cheering I'll cheer for them again.

great. bye.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Concerned about his age and how the contract will hold up but otherwise me too

What's your level of concern for both Brodie and Gio? Both "showed their age" in recent times. Both have a much bigger role than Reaves. It's ok not like the player or contract, but "concerned"?

 

[Gary Nylund]

Do you like watching hockey though? You're complaining about how shitty the team is while Auston Matthews is in his prime. We are literally watching the best player who had ever played for our beloved franchise and all you can focus on is the lack of winning a Cup. That's obviously everyone's dream, however there are 32 teams and only 1 team wins. There are a lot of positives to focus on if you can get passed the fact that winning the Cup isn't a layup.

There are also a number of levels in between those two extremes. Florida for example went to the finals and kicked our asses on their way there.

It's nice to make the playoffs, better than not making it do doubt about it. It also sucks to be 1-7 in playoff series while it's been decades since we won even two rounds and over half a century since we made the finals. Matthews is fun to watch, but I'd much rather have a great team than a great player, hockey is a team game after all.

 

[HockeyVirus]

What I am curious about is does he stop hitting? It seems like everytime we got a guy who hits, he would join the team and hit for like 10 games and then just stop doing it.

Hard to believe Dubas was signing guys who play physical to tell them not to play that way here, so Keefe must be asking them to not do it. Likely he doesn't want them making hits that give up chances against, so guys who like finishing checks pull up and get on the back check instead of taking the 2-3 seconds to finish a guy into the boards.

Whether that makes sense or not, Simmonds was a non factor because he wasn't fast enough to be in defensive position if he was hitting. I have heard the same scouting reports for Reaves from other fans.

So what is going to really be his impact? Is Keefe going to allow more defensive things to slide if it is to be physical on the puck? Or is he going to be Simmonds 2.0 who chirps from the bench 55 minutes a night and does nothing but go on the ice and take penalties?

Personally I don't think Reaves makes any sense to sign unless the plan was to completely change the identity of our team and what we prioritize in a game. That would be a positive sign for me, but I just can't see it.

 

[Hellcat]

What's your level of concern for both Brodie and Gio? Both "showed their age" in recent times. Both have a much bigger role than Reaves. It's ok not like the player or contract, but "concerned"?

I think if the Leafs do what they said they would do last year, this year, we will be fine. GIO should play max 40 ish games with lost of rest to start the year. Brodie should play 65 - 70ish games with rest towards the end of the year but because our coach is a f-ing moron he can't see the Leafs through the trees and uses the old skill over strategy game plan he ties our seniors out and then come plays offs we need to rely on 6/7/8 d-men. Lilly/Guf/Timmins

What I am curious about is does he stop hitting? It seems like everytime we got a guy who hits, he would join the team and hit for like 10 games and then just stop doing it.

I'd take the over on that, they must pump Valium laced air into our locker room, we are a pretty demure group of pansies.

 

[Rob Brown]

 

[ShaneFalco]

Love what he can bring here and always backs it up

 

[fahad203]

All it will take is one Rado Gudas hit and the Told Ya so's will be out... Told ya so ... goons don't do nothing to prevent our players from getting hit.

In a society where its close to illegal to be a manly man, seeing manly men do manly men things in a game that use to have manly men is a wonderful thing.

You make it sound like Reaves can't hit either. Players who hit will hit, but they won't hit much. Bennett is a hitter but he played like prime Clarke only because it was the leafs.

Reaves would have responded, their players would have been mindful of that. That's all the leafs needed. Someone to push back at their players

Reaves still very capable of that

 

[Hellcat]

You make it sound like Reaves can't hit either. Players who hit will hit, but they won't hit much. Bennett is a hitter but he played like prime Clarke only because it was the leafs.

Reaves would have responded, their players would have been mindful of that. That's all the leafs needed. Someone to push back at their players

Reaves still very capable of that

Eh? How did I do that?

 

[fahad203]

Eh? How did I do that?

Perhaps I miss understood what you said.

My point was Reaves is very capable being a deterrent. Players will hit but how and when will change

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Perhaps I miss understood what you said.

My point was Reaves is very capable being a deterrent. Players will hit but how and when will change

Why is Reaves going to be such a deterrent? He'll be 37 by the time the playoffs start. We've already had players like Simmonds, Clifford, and Schenn and by your admission that hasn't worked

 

[fahad203]

Why is Reaves going to be such a deterrent? He'll be 37 by the time the playoffs start. We've already had players like Simmonds, Clifford, and Schenn and by your admission that hasn't worked

Simmonds never played and couldn't skate. Clifford was decent but against not known to be a hole

When Reaves gets a hold of you, he wants to end you. Just ask Adam McQuaid

Rangers last year got Reaves for Tom Wilson incident. Do you remember Tom Wilson doing anything against Rangers after that.

None of those guys are alpha like Reaves. Last Alpha type of fighter we had was Orr.. nobody messed with the Leafs when Orr was around

Lucic used to hit until Orr got a hold of him.

 

[Fogelhund]

Simmonds never played and couldn't skate. Clifford was decent but against not known to be a hole

When Reaves gets a hold of you, he wants to end you. Just ask Adam McQuaid

Rangers last year got Reaves for Tom Wilson incident. Do you remember Tom Wilson doing anything against Rangers after that.

None of those guys are alpha like Reaves. Last Alpha type of fighter we had was Orr.. nobody messed with the Leafs when Orr was around

Lucic used to hit until Orr got a hold of him.

And yet Simmonds was a far better skater and hockey player than Reaves. If Reaves gets more than 40 games in, or any games in the playoffs, I’ll be surprised.

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

I honestly don't mind this deal. I absolutely love his personality. With Domi, Bertuzzi, and Reaves hopefully we can recapture some of that toughness from the Quinn Era.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Still wondering what his role will be on this team. I truly believe there's a team policy against fighting and even taking penalties (maybe for good reason - I also happen to believe the Leafs get the short end of the stick with penalties and suspensions).