Maple Leafs Give Up On Ryan Reaves In Transfer That Felt Inevitable

Ryan Reaves (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Pictures)The Toronto Maple Leafs freed up a little bit of cap area Thursday afternoon – most likely, prematurely of a industry acquisition or two – once they put veteran proper winger Ryan Reaves on waivers. For the reason that Reaves has been a wholesome scratch for more or less part of the season and that he has simply two assists and nil objectives in 35 video games, the transfer is hardly ever unexpected. And as we’ll discover underneath, it is a contract trajectory that mirrors some other quite contemporary deal given to a Leafs enforcer whose highest days have been in the back of them.However first, let’s get a couple of issues out of the way in which. As we mentioned on Bluesky, some contracts you take a look at once they’re signed and you are saying, “that deal would possibly not see its herbal finish,” – and the Reaves contract he signed in 2023 was once certainly one of them. The Leafs gave Reaves a three-year contract when no different workforce would give him one, and for just right explanation why: he was once going to be 37 years previous on the finish of the primary yr of the contract, and imagining that he was once nonetheless going to be a contributor for the Leafs at age 39 within the ultimate yr of the deal is stretching the limits of credulity.Certainly, we’re making a bet that, if you happen to had Leafs control positioned beneath a lie detector, they’d admit that they signed Reaves figuring out complete neatly they’d most likely be dunking the general season of his contract within the American League. And all you need to do to look why we really feel that method is to look what Toronto did with some other difficult man with little left within the tank – former NHLer Kyle Clifford.If you happen to recall, the Leafs got Clifford from St. Louis in November of 2021, And whilst he had a Stanley Cup championship to his credit score from his time in Los Angeles, Clifford performed simplest 23 video games with Toronto that season – and simplest two extra video games with the Leafs after that – earlier than the Buds buried him within the AHL, the place he’s nonetheless enjoying for the Toronto Marlies to these days.That’s the place we predict Reaves to be for the remainder of this season and subsequent season. By means of the tip of his contract, retirement would be the subsequent logical step. We don’t say this with any glee – Reaves was once popular with his Leafs teammates, and he has performed in 15 NHL seasons with a restricted talent set, so he can show pride in that. However careers like his infrequently finish the way in which enforcer avid gamers was hoping they might, and Thursday’s transfer undoubtedly turns out just like the Leafs are burying Reaves’ contract forward of constructing a industry of end result.Within the pecking order of the modern day NHL device, avid gamers like Reaves are a luxurious few groups have anymore. He was once roughly of a one-trick pony as a fighter, and making an allowance for he simplest fought as soon as this season, it’s a marvel being put on waivers transfer didn’t occur faster for him. Reaves’ quantity was once up, and it looks like he needed to know this sort of transfer was once coming.Get the most recent information and trending tales via following The Hockey Information on Google Information and via subscribing to The Hockey Information publication right here. And percentage your ideas via commenting underneath the object on THN.com.