Editor In Leaf
Fansided

5 Toronto Maple Leafs That Have Been Major Disappointments

By Edward Eng

TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 11: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the 1st period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 11, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 11: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the 1st period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 11, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Oct 5, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (41) battles for the puck with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves (75) in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Ryan Reaves

Brought in during the offseason to help provide some protection of the Leafs star players, along with adding some sandpaper and grit in the lineup, Ryan Reaves unfortunately has been a failed experiment so far this season.

He wasn’t going to get any big time minutes from the start, but it was expected that his presence on the ice would at least give the Leafs the intimidation factor to keep their opponents on their toes all the time.

However, not only has the opposition stayed on their toes, they have taken full advantage whenever Reaves and his fourth line was on the ice to capitalize on the scoreboard. Reaves and his line has been totally dominated so far this season, putting the Leafs in the extreme negative whenever he took the ice.

More importantly, he would end up flopping the one job that he could not go wrong in doing in being the enforcer for the team. In a recent game when the Bruins’ Brad Marchand injured defenseman Timothy Liljegren on a play, Reaves failed to respond to the incident by giving some push back to the opposition that they can’t mess around with the Leafs.

As a result, Reaves is beginning to turn out worse than his predecessors in Wayne Simmonds and Matt Martin.

For those two, at least they provided some value offensively, while at the same time, they kept the opponents in check whenever they started playing aggressively against the Leafs.

Reaves probably shouldn’t play anymore, and the fact that he was signed for three years is becoming a major embarrassment to the organization and new GM.

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