Is Ryan Reaves good for the Maple Leafs?

Is Ryan Reaves good for the Maple Leafs?

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: One other Leafs thing I wanted to bring up, Ryan Reaves. I've noticed some discourse about Ryan Reaves online, about his contributions to the team. You know, I think he's a great quote. And if I was in the locker room all day I wouldn't be that mad about Ryan Reaves.

But there are other people who say that he's not good in analytics. The CF is not good. All he just does is fight. And Harper Jack got the better of him that one time.

Where do we stand on Ryan Reaves as a Toronto Maple Leaf and the contributions to this? Do we need Ryan Reaves in the league? Where do we stand on this? What do we do? Who wants to take this first?

Omar, you take it.

OMAR: I don't care.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I don't care.

OMAR: I genuinely, I don't care, right? And this is what's like is really like, I get why there's a focus. For me the only thing that's like is a bit of an ah, is just the contract, mostly the term. But like, I don't care. Recently, I want to say Kevin [? Vipetty ?] on Twitter put out a list of the [INAUDIBLE] goals four for each player. Ryan Reaves isn't even the worst.

David Kampf is the worst, who makes $2.5 million for three more years after this one. That should be the focus. Because he is the defensive person, right? And also here's another thing. He plays on the fourth line. Do you expect goals from the fourth line? No. Would it be nice? Cool.

Here's another thing. Who had the worst advanced stats on Vegas last year? Anyone know off by heart. Because no one cares. They won. How about Colorado, the lot-- how about Colorado? Sam, do you know who had the worst advanced stats on Colorado when they won?

SAMANTHA CHANG: No.

OMAR: No. Because no one cares.

SAMANTHA CHANG: Who was it?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, who was it?

OMAR: I have no idea. I can probably-- I can probably search it, but like, but I have no idea because no one cares. Right? It's just like we're like, OK, like, the fourth line like, isn't defensive. Like traditionally fourth lines are just energy lines anyway, right? That just like hit and get engagement and all that type of stuff. Based off of that bare bones definition, it's taking place.

Now would you like a fourth line to have more time in the offensive zone and not be a defensive liability? For sure. But like who cares? Like genuinely, like who-- and I'm seeing so much justification like on the why it's a why it's a good signing or why it's a bad signing.

Oh, he keeps the flies off. Or he gives the team more swagger. Like, regardless, the only reason to focus on it is just based off the stars and that's it. Are the players OK with them on the team? It looks like they are.

Mitch Marner and him do this jump. He screams. Sammy release us. He's yelling at Corey Perry. He got the belt. That's what matters. Until like Ryan Reaves is like directly responsible for the Leafs losing games, then I will be upset about it. Then I will say something about it.

But it's game freaking three, man. Gosh. Like could we not like complain about something else? John Klingberg looks horrible. Let's talk about that. But no, Ryan Reaves, like, I just feel like it's such an unnecessary discussion. We knew he wasn't going to be an advance person.

We knew that. And I feel like the people who hated the signing at first and are coming up and saying, you see? You see? It's bad. But like we knew that. You didn't expect any of it. So like he's here. Embrace it. Have fun. It was funny.

He yelled at Corey Perry. That was funny. Oh, but Corey Perry scored afterwards. OK. So what? It was still funny. So yeah, I don't care. And it's like it's so annoying now. And every game it comes up. It's like, who cares? Forget it. Like whatever.

AVERY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Yeah, no. It's a good point, Omar. It's three games in. That's Ryan Reaves. If that's the biggest gripe of the Leafs season so far, like come on. What are we doing here? He's a fourth line guy.

He's going to be an enforcer, the old school enforcer. [INAUDIBLE] bigger fish to fry with the Leafs than what Ryan Reaves does. It's silly. And again, three games in. There's 79 more games to go.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, Sam, do you want last word on this before we move on to teams in the West?

SAMANTHA CHANG: I don't have any feelings about this.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's fair. Who cares? I'll say this. I'll say this for Ryan Reaves. I think Omar-- that's one of the greatest rants on the show I've heard from Omar, honestly. Just want that said about how he went about Ryan Reaves. That was really well done. You're a star.

But also just, yeah, if he's not really hurting the team, and the players actually like being around him, and he does great stuff for the room, maybe we shouldn't give so much of a damn about it. But people are going to give a damn about it, especially when you're just looking at the numbers.

You can't just look at numbers and go off of that. You have to consider what's on the ice, the intangibles, or I mean to a certain point, and then the numbers. Like you have to do all that. Omar, you're about to say something.

OMAR: Nico Sturm. Nico Sturm had the worst advanced stats on Colorado when they won the Cup.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK all right.

OMAR: Thank you.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Well, I got to say--

OMAR: Everyone who is listening, who is that?

SAMANTHA CHANG: I literally forgot he was on that team. So.

OMAR: Thank you. Thank you, Sam. Thank you. Case closed. Done. There.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, all right. This as much as we need to expand on Ryan Reaves.