The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a very disappointing 2023-24 season, and things aren't looking that much better for next year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs missed out on all the top goalies and had to go cheap at the game's most important decision.
They did improve their blue-line, in very high risk way, but their forwards are worse now than when the season ended.
To top it off, they haven't addressed any of the dead-weight on their roster and David Kampf, Ryan Reaves and Calle Jarnkrok are all still inexplicably on the team.
Of the three, it is most necessary to move on from Ryan Reaves.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Can't Actually Keep Using Ryan Reaves
I hate saying this in case one day we meet up and he punches me in the mouth, but Ryan Reaves is no longer an NHL player.
I'm a fan of him as a person and as a player, but he's 37 years old and a liability on the ice. It was ridiculous that Treliving gave him more than the league minimum for a single year, let alone three.
It is honestly one of the worst decisions in team history because not only was it obviously a bad move the day it happened, but it ended up costing the Leafs their season.
Ryan Reaves dressed for five playoff games, and in two of them he was responsible for the Leafs being scored on and having to play from behind. Unless I am mistaken, he was on the ice for the opening goal against in two of the four games the Leafs lost. He also took a really stupid penalty, and was just an absolute disaster.
Boston had the puck 56% of the time when he played, and posted a ridiculous 68% Expected Goals Rating when Reaves was on the ice.
In the regular season, the Leafs dressed one of the most expensive fourth lines in the NHL and they were constantly caved in.
With Reaves on the ice last year in the regular season the Leafs lost 22-10. That's brutal and unacceptable.
They cannot possibly play him again this year. His cap-hit is not very expensive, but it is more than the league minimum, so getting rid of him would be beneficial in two ways. (all statsnaturalstattrick.com).
The Leafs could clear over $7 million in cap-space by moving on from Reaves, Kampf, Timmins and Jarnrkok which is obviously necessary considering their summer so far has been terrible.
However, with Reaves it's not just financial - he's no longer an NHL player and he should not dress for the Toronto Maple Leafs ever again.