If The Maple Leafs' Ryan Reaves Hasn't Fought This Season, Should He Go To The AHL?

Throughout his career, Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves has made his living by using his size to throw big hits and fight. Now approaching 38 years old, Reaves struggles to do both things.

In the 27 games he’s played this season, Reaves has thrown 86 hits but hasn’t fought once. His two assists aren’t getting him in the lineup, and he doesn’t offer much defensively, meaning that at the moment, Reaves isn’t filling any role when he’s in the lineup.

The Winnipeg, Man. native was out of the lineup Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes after he returned against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 7. He was healthy scratched for two straight games prior and was brought back into the lineup against Philadelphia with the expectation that he would challenge Garnet Hathaway as an answer back for injuring Jake McCabe in the previous game. Reaves went on to play 6:52 on Tuesday and did not fight Hathaway or any other Flyers player.

Without Reaves fighting, questions arise about his role with the team. Other NHL teams, such as the New York Rangers, haven’t been afraid to move their enforcers up and down from the AHL, as they have done with Matt Rempe. His most recent demotion to the AHL allowed them to insert Arthur Kaliyev into their lineup after they claimed him off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

The situation between Reaves and the Maple Leafs, and Rempe and the Rangers isn’t exactly the same due to contract implications. Rempe is on his entry-level contract and doesn’t require waivers to be sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. If the Maple Leafs wanted to send Reaves to the Toronto Marlies, he would require waivers, allowing every other NHL team to put in a waiver claim and take him from the Maple Leafs for free.

Reaves’ $1.35-million cap hit might steer teams away from placing a claim but it could be a risk the Maple Leafs aren’t willing to take. If they did decide to go down that road, it would free up cap space for the Maple Leafs to either call someone up from the Marlies or make a trade.

The Maple Leafs players love the character Reaves brings to the team, and it was highlighted last year by Auston Matthews after Reaves fought Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta.

"He’s just an animal, honestly. He’s a beast," Matthews said at the time. "It’s moments like those (fight with Pezzetta) where you really realize how important he is to the team... I love watching him do what he does. He’s the best in the world at it for a reason. "

If Reaves can bring that energy back and mix it up when the Maple Leafs are in need of momentum, then he serves a purpose, but if not, it’s difficult to see him on the roster for much longer.

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