Forward Ryan Reaves is a few days away from his 37th birthday and he may not get the best present… When team insider Jonas Siegel handed in his midseason report for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Athletic, he gave Reaves a mark of D-, the lowest on the team’s report card.
Sure, he’d been on the Maple Leafs’ injured reserve (IR) for over a month now, but I’m not sure he could have done anything to improve that grade. Reaves has just one goal in 21 games this season after signing with the Leafs as a free agent this summer, committing to a three-year deal worth $4.05 million.
Siegel now wonders if there is a trade market for Reaves or even if he will land on waivers upon his return.
“The path to playing time feels even murkier now than before, what with the fourth line finding an identity with McMann in there alongside Gregor and Kämpf. The Rangers had similar issues with Reaves last season (they were filled in when he was out there) and eventually dealt him to Minnesota. Is there a market for him again with two more years left on his contract and his 37th birthday ahead later this week? Will he end up on waivers?”
Siegel also graded goalie Ilya Samsonov with a D-, and didn’t applaud the work of general manager Brad Treliving since he took over this summer, giving him an overall grade of C, stating that some of his moves, including signing Reaves to a contract, have either not worked at all or just been okay. I bet his acquisition of Reaves brought his mark down quite a bit…
When Reaves was first signed to a deal in Toronto, fans liked the promise of the move. However, he made it clear that he is not a viable option up front and has even become a liability.
Therefore, I can only agree with Siegel and see his report as a huge blow to Reaves and potentially the final nail in his coffin in Toronto.
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