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Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer questions Ryan Reaves' toughness

Originally posted on Hockey Unplugged | By Axel Williams | Last updated Oct 22, 2024 12:30 PM ET

Ryan Reaves is among one of the most infamous enforcers in the entire league although his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs has certainly been underwhelming.

Overall, he has not participated in nearly as many fights as fans were hoping. In fact, he was recently challenged by Arber Xhekaj, however, he opted not to throw down. This was already suspicious, but it got a whole lot worse when Reaves opted to not fight against Matt Rempe this past weekend during a game against the New York Rangers.

On 'Leafs Morning Take,' former Maple Leafs enforcer Jay Rosehill decided to speak up about what he has been seeing out of Reaves. As he noted, the effort in terms of fighting simply has not been there. Moreover, Rosehill believes Reaves should at least be trying to get his team going, especially since they were down against the Canadiens and the Rangers.

Rosehill noted that he doesn't want to be too harsh on Reaves right now. However, if this soft streak continues, then we could very well see some massive changes coming soon. Reaves is already struggling to get into the lineup and if he keeps refusing to fight, then the Leafs will not have all that much use for him. It sounds harsh but it is true.

Only time will tell whether or not Reaves changes his mentality. He probably isn't far away from retirement, so perhaps he is just trying to conserve his body. Whatever the case may be, some Leafs fans are starting to grow a bit worried.

This article first appeared on Hockey Unplugged and was syndicated with permission.

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