14 outings into his 2024-25 regular season, Ryan Reaves has yet to register a fighting major.
You read that right. Not one single scrap. Nothing. Zilch. Bizarre —to say the least.
In the grand scheme of things, yes, it takes two to tango, but ultimately, you have to think it’s been there for him a few times, especially against the likes of Arber Xhekaj and Matt Rempe.
That said, there could be a variety of reasons why Reaves, who’s still widely perceived as one of the toughest guys in the NHL right now, has yet to drop his gloves this season. Truthfully, we’ll never really know the honest answer, and that stinks.
Bottom line, regardless of all that, I think Craig Berube’s playing him too much. Through 17 contests, he’s only sat three times. As far as I’m concerned, that’s way too much playing time for a 37-year-old with one measly point – an assist – and zero fights to his name. There’s no need for him to be in there all the time. Plain and simple.
Furthermore, to be fair, since his decent start to the campaign, I haven’t really been crazy about Reaves’ game – in general – lately. He’s in the lineup to be an enforcer, and if no one’s taking the bait right now, there’s no point in continuing to trot him out there. I have zero coaching credentials but that’s probably the wrong approach for a team starving for offence. It’s time to shake things up.
Look, I love what Reaves brings to the table, but if he’s not fighting and causing havoc out there, I don’t think he has much value. Moving forward, I think they should pick their spots with his deployment. Simply put, he doesn’t need to play every game. Instead, I think someone like Alex Steeves deserves an opportunity to play a few games. As mentioned, Toronto’s struggling to score goals and Steeves, 24, netted nine goals in 10 games with the AHL’s Marlies prior to his recall. Naturally, I think he’s a really good candidate to insert into a lineup desperate for an uptick in offence.
