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

[MilkofthePoppy]

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.

I don't disagree with you, but some of the shit that Florida got away with was egregious.

 

[horner]

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

The difference is we had schenn and no other players to stand with him

Reeves Domi Bert

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

The difference is we had schenn and no other players to stand with him

Reeves Domi Bert

Is that so different from Acciari/Simmonds/Schenn/Clifford who were all in the organization last year? Is it so different from when we had Martin, Polak, and Kadri?

It just seems like every time we add a player like Reaves, there's all this talk about how great it will be to have a physical deterrent but it's never made a difference

 

[Fogelhund]

What a great add.

""

 

[Rob Brown]

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

Reaves is on a different level than those guys in terms of the physicality IMO.

 

[Stephen]

Is that so different from Acciari/Simmonds/Schenn/Clifford who were all in the organization last year? Is it so different from when we had Martin, Polak, and Kadri?

It just seems like every time we add a player like Reaves, there's all this talk about how great it will be to have a physical deterrent but it's never made a difference

Team toughness seems to work best when you have different tiers of players who do different things.

Boston is an easy example since we always played them and they always got the upper hand over the past half dozen or so years.

Chara was the "nuclear" option. He was obviously a more impactful player even late in his career compared to whatever Reaves will be, but if your team has the most intimidating guy in the game, you have some built in deterrence and real physical impact.

You had your big bodies, or lunch pail guys or agitators like Backes, McQuaid, Carlo, Foligno, Bertuzzi, Coyle, Hathaway who could hold ground and handle themselves if things got tough.

Then you had a layer of piece of shit guys like Marchand, Krug, DeBrusk, McAvoy who can play chippy, chirp, get into the dirty areas knowing they have the depth of physicality to back them up.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Team toughness seems to work best when you have different tiers of players who do different things.

Boston is an easy example since we always played them and they always got the upper hand over the past half dozen or so years.

Chara was the "nuclear" option. He was obviously a more impactful player even late in his career compared to whatever Reaves will be, but if your team has the most intimidating guy in the game, you have some built in deterrence and real physical impact.

You had your big bodies, or lunch pail guys or agitators like Backes, McQuaid, Carlo, Foligno, Bertuzzi, Coyle, Hathaway who could hold ground and handle themselves if things got tough.

Then you had a layer of piece of shit guys like Marchand, Krug, DeBrusk, McAvoy who can play chippy, chirp, get into the dirty areas knowing they have the depth of physicality to back them up.

I think the best example of what we could be trying to emulate is Tampa. Everybody in Tampa is a total prick (sans Hedman), including their coach and they all stand up for each other from their star players down. They also love to pick fights when they're losing, which is a trait the Leafs don't share whether there's an enforcer on their bench or not. The difference between Reaves and Chara is that Reaves should be glued to the bench in the playoffs, but Chara was good enough to be out there against his opponent's best players.

If Reaves does have any kind of impact on this team, it's most likely going to be in the form of leadership and creating a better locker-room environment. As his other teams have found out, he just can't keep up with the play when things ramp up

 

[Stephen]

I think the best example of what we could be trying to emulate is Tampa. Everybody in Tampa is a total prick (sans Hedman), including their coach and they all stand up for each other from their star players down. They also love to pick fights when they're losing, which is a trait the Leafs don't share whether there's an enforcer on their bench or not. The difference between Reaves and Chara is that Reaves should be glued to the bench in the playoffs, but Chara was good enough to be out there against his opponent's best players.

If Reaves does have any kind of impact on this team, it's most likely going to be in the form of leadership and creating a better locker-room environment. As his other teams have found out, he just can't keep up with the play when things ramp up

I think the Leafs have been trying to get guys who might inspire some combination of Matthews, Marner and Nylander to be more prick like in their play style. As in Tampa, all their star players are pissy crybabies - but in a good competitive way. The window dressing toughness is just the window dressing toughness. Domi and Bertuzzi are more like outer core/middle class guys who can be chippy. But then you need that aggressiveness from the very top to be Tampa.

 

[fahad203]

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.

Why?
He played 61 games last year. He was top 25 in hits last year and he was top 5 heavy weight in the league
Take a look at how many big hits he has thrown last year.

I mean considering he's making 400k more than Wayne 'for some reason well love' simmonds is a very good deal

I dont remember gudas and Bennett being so tough against Vegas... Kolser would have ruined them both

Reaves will be to the Leafs what Martin is to the Isles. A decent enforcer who is a locker room presence and can protect team mates

I mean we tried the soft way, got us no where. Let's try the hard way

 

[Nineteen67]

I’d like to see him teach Knies how to protect himself and get him to engage with the other team.
He’s a big beautiful looking kid and it’d be great if used his size and speed to punish people

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Why?
He played 61 games last year. He was top 25 in hits last year and he was top 5 heavy weight in the league
Take a look at how many big hits he has thrown last year.

I mean considering he's making 400k more than Wayne 'for some reason well love' simmonds is a very good deal

I dont remember gudas and Bennett being so tough against Vegas... Kolser would have ruined them both

Reaves will be to the Leafs what Martin is to the Isles. A decent enforcer who is a locker room presence and can protect team mates

I mean we tried the soft way, got us no where. Let's try the hard way

Really wish we'd kept Martin. I've a conspiracy theory Babcock had an axe to grind with Martin which is why he was benched so much in his last season here. No other good reason for that trade given how effective Martin continued to be with the Islanders.

Team toughness seems to work best when you have different tiers of players who do different things.

Boston is an easy example since we always played them and they always got the upper hand over the past half dozen or so years.

Chara was the "nuclear" option. He was obviously a more impactful player even late in his career compared to whatever Reaves will be, but if your team has the most intimidating guy in the game, you have some built in deterrence and real physical impact.

You had your big bodies, or lunch pail guys or agitators like Backes, McQuaid, Carlo, Foligno, Bertuzzi, Coyle, Hathaway who could hold ground and handle themselves if things got tough.

Then you had a layer of piece of shit guys like Marchand, Krug, DeBrusk, McAvoy who can play chippy, chirp, get into the dirty areas knowing they have the depth of physicality to back them up.

Really wish we'd the cap room to keep Schenn along with adding the snot up front. Capable of playing decent minutes with Rielly so he would be out there with our stars and he played the cop role so well, not to mention his good defensive and physical play in general. I get the need for Klingberg and he doesn't back down himself from a challenge but he and Schenn couldn't be more opposite.

In any event, it looks like the 23-24 Leafs version of your list is:

Nuclear: Reaves
Lunch Pail: Bertuzzi, Lafferty, McCabe
Agitators: Domi, Rielly to an extent, Klingberg can be greasy when he wants

It'd be nice if Knies could elevate himself to the Lunch Pail category. He's a USHL and NCAA guy though so it's doubtful but hey, the Tkachuk brothers also took that route and they aren't afraid to throw down, though obviously having a dad like Keith was a major influence on them. And maybe Benoit surprises and can give us third pairing minutes as a physical shutdown defenseman. Would be nice to develop that type and hold onto them for once rather than having to trade for it or overpay in free agency.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Reaves is an excellent signing. Crowd will go ballistic when he defends our players. The players are going to feel different with him around.

 

[LeafEgo]

Leafs have had a significant lack of toughness, a critical element of the game, and most notably across the top of the line up where the majority of minutes are played. That same cast of players also constitute some of the most expensive scorers/playmakers in the league.

In Tre's first appearance he made very clear we had to course correct, and there's not an easy counterbalance with lower minute players and no money. So he got the guy branded as the toughest player in the league - if that doesn't work imagine if we didn't have him.

We should be ok with a Reaves putting up 5 goals instead of an 8 or 9 goal alternative. He was a -1 last year. He's buriable by like 100k. It's not a bad idea.

 

[Fogelhund]

Why?
He played 61 games last year. He was top 25 in hits last year and he was top 5 heavy weight in the league
Take a look at how many big hits he has thrown last year.

I mean considering he's making 400k more than Wayne 'for some reason well love' simmonds is a very good deal

I dont remember gudas and Bennett being so tough against Vegas... Kolser would have ruined them both

Reaves will be to the Leafs what Martin is to the Isles. A decent enforcer who is a locker room presence and can protect team mates

I mean we tried the soft way, got us no where. Let's try the hard way

Liability at hockey.

 

[francis246]

Really wish we'd kept Martin. I've a conspiracy theory Babcock had an axe to grind with Martin which is why he was benched so much in his last season here. No other good reason for that trade given how effective Martin continued to be with the Islanders.



Really wish we'd the cap room to keep Schenn along with adding the snot up front. Capable of playing decent minutes with Rielly so he would be out there with our stars and he played the cop role so well, not to mention his good defensive and physical play in general. I get the need for Klingberg and he doesn't back down himself from a challenge but he and Schenn couldn't be more opposite.

In any event, it looks like the 23-24 Leafs version of your list is:

Nuclear: Reaves
Lunch Pail: Bertuzzi, Lafferty, McCabe
Agitators: Domi, Rielly to an extent, Klingberg can be greasy when he wants

It'd be nice if Knies could elevate himself to the Lunch Pail category. He's a USHL and NCAA guy though so it's doubtful but hey, the Tkachuk brothers also took that route and they aren't afraid to throw down, though obviously having a dad like Keith was a major influence on them. And maybe Benoit surprises and can give us third pairing minutes as a physical shutdown defenseman. Would be nice to develop that type and hold onto them for once rather than having to trade for it or overpay in free agency.

Matthew Tkachuk played in the OHL btw after the USHL.

 

[ChurchOfMatthews]

Liability at hockey.

Softness is also a liability. I'm sick off seeing our stars getting embarrassed by teams with grit. It needs to change and the players will be playing a few inches taller with Reaves on the bench. He'll be a fan favorite by the end of the year and you will be in the minority. Book it.

 

[leafs in five]

In a society where its close to illegal to be a manly man

 

[leafs in five]

Or, heaven forbid, they go deep into the playoffs.

love to cheer on my hometown team

 

[ACC1224]

Liability at hockey.

He is elite at one facet of the game and a liability in other facets. Like a lot of players, he has strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Nineteen67]

Has a beauty. I love those guys.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

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 and Clifford, even Luke Schenn are not the same.

 

[SprDaVE]

I can understand and even appreciate the things he can bring to the team but it's always amazing to me how people put these kind of players on pedestals and then completely turn on them or give out excuses when they are just not at all what they think they are.

Maybe he'll be able to bring more of what he did with his time with Vegas or the Blues but at his age and recent contributions, I really don't know how he'll even be on the Leafs full-time for the whole season. I hope Reaves is ready for a whole lot of wild expectations.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I’d like to see him teach Knies how to protect himself and get him to engage with the other team.
He’s a big beautiful looking kid and it’d be great if used his size and speed to punish people

I'd like to see him teach Matthews.

 

[Nineteen67]

I'd like to see him teach Matthews.

That too, but they’re in a different class.

Ideally teach them all to be like a pack of wolves. That’s what turned Tampa around.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

What a great add.

""

What he does can't be measured on a chart