Leafs' Ryan Reaves Called Upon to Square Up With Rangers' Matt Rempe

"Well, I think (Matt) Rempe over there, obviously. He's an effective player, in my opinion," Berube said. "He's physical, he's a hard guy to handle. So, I just wanted to get Reavo in there."

If Reaves and the Rangers' 6-foot-9 sophomore bruiser should exchange fists, it wouldn't be the first time. 

Reaves and Rempe dropped the gloves last season in Toronto, which resulted in a stalemate.

Rempe, who fought the New York Islanders' Matt Martin during his first NHL shift in the NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium last year, was a hot target for "tough guys" around the league at the time. 

The Rangers' skill players have been well protected with Rempe's presence anchoring them since he's become a lineup regular. 

"Reavo in the lineup maybe deters him from being as physical as he has been or their whole team for that fact. And that's the reason I went with him tonight." Berube explained.

Reaves, who played on the Rangers from 2021-22, marveled himself at Rempe's looming stature. 

"You hear about how tall somebody is but then you get up in front of him, he looks a little taller than I was imagining," Reaves explained. "Nothing that I've never fought before."