'I've Thought About (Doing Media)': Ryan Reaves Voted By Maple Leafs Teammates As Player Who Would Make The Best Media Member In Poll From The Athletic

Could enforcer Ryan Reaves be the next up-and-coming, hard-hitting, and entertaining media member?

His Toronto Maple Leaf teammates seem to think so – by a landslide.

In the latest player poll from The Athletic, part two, which reveals insights into the personalities of the 2024-25 Maple Leafs, Reaves stood out not just for his on-ice presence, but for his potential off-ice future in the media world.

The 38-year-old forward, known for his energy and hard-nosed playstyle, earned a staggering 14 votes in the poll, far surpassing the next closest teammate, Mitch Marner, who garnered just three.

The poll, conducted and written by The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke and Jonas Siegel, touched on several intriguing categories, from the player who gives the best advice to which teammate would excel as a coach, for example.

But it was the question of who would be the best media member that took center stage.

“Yeah, we know the answer to that one,” said Marner. “(Ryan Reaves) must have been the runaway for sure.”

When taking a hard look at his qualities, Reaves has all the traits that could make him a notable media member; articulate, confident, and unafraid to share his opinions. With his 15 years of NHL experience, these attributes position him as an ideal candidate to challenge the traditionally reserved nature of the NHL media scene.

“I’ve thought about (doing media) and I’ve had a few agencies call me over the last few years. I guess they thought I’d retired,” Reaves joked. “My hang-up with it is I would rather do something like 'Spittin’ Chiclets' or 'Inside the NBA' where you can speak freely and have a little fun and it’s not so dry.

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Reaves’ thoughts on hockey media reflect a larger issue he sees with the NHL: a reluctance to embrace outside-the-box ideas and opinions.

“Hockey doesn’t do a very good job at marketing the game because they want everything to be so black and white. You can’t have a very strong opinion about things, you can’t have fun with things. I feel like we fall behind other sports in that regard. That would be my hang-up to just going anywhere on TV,” he added.

Related: Ryan Reaves Takes Off-Ice Duties 'Very Seriously', Wants to Bring Maple Leafs Closer Together

The veteran forward also earned (by far) the most votes (20) for being the most active member in the chat, with Marner trailing behind with eight votes.

“(Reaves) has a comment about everything. He likes to get involved. It might be chirping guys, he might be backing guys, but he’s always in there,” teammate Bobby McMann said.

However, his media potential isn’t just based on theoreticals, but instead, his ability to entertain, much like Spittin’ Chiclets’ Paul Bissonnette, a former NHL enforcer who has built a successful post-hockey career as a media personality and podcast host.

Like Bissonnette, his outgoing personality could easily translate into the kind of media career that attracts both fans of the sport and those outside of it, providing a much-needed shake-up to broadcasting that’s criticized for being too polished.

The idea of him stepping into the media world after his playing days shouldn’t be looked at as far-fetched. Based on the poll, it seems his teammates would tend to agree.

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