On this episode of The Jesse Blake Sports Reports, the Toronto Maple Leafs have started the 2023-2024 NHL season 2-0 on the back of back to back hat-tricks by Auston Matthews. But the biggest conversation in Leafs land is Ryan Reaves and his role in the lineup and whether or not his intangibles outweigh what he lacks on the ice.
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Recorded: October 14, 2023
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41 Comments
I love how like the half the dressing room is saying "Keep it!" and its totally accurate lol back to back hatties is insane! Good on Matthews to give it out though. Right call too. Give it to Willy or anyone else who scored…. Matty scored 3, need to reward something different than scoring then.
Only in todays NHL is Ryan Reaves an effective goon. 20 years ago he would have been a 2nd rate tough guy, but in todays NHL he is one of the top dogs, minus Arber Xhekaj, who is such a meanie to Ryan.
Hard to measure, but feels like the leafs stars aren't looking over their shoulder every 2 seconds…. feels like they are more confident and able to do more without having to worry about offending the opposing team….. Matthews, marner, nylander, Tavares feeling like they can play their game better is worth their weight in gold….
I know it's impossible to quantify statistically but I'd love to know how much the top line's expected goals goes up if the opponents are afraid to throw bigger checks. Years and years and years have passed of hearing that the leafs are too soft and they need somebody to protect their shooters, and now they have /the guy/ and suddenly it's about analytics. Y'all are almost worse than Philly at this point
Reavesâ impact is so much more than just on the ice. Itâs apparent heâs a really charismatic, intelligent motivator that brings a value more important than + -. Intangibles are that mystery factor the Leafs really need and he supplies it.
I don't think we should be worried too much about Reaves. If there's anything we have to focus on it's keeping our goalies healthy and hot
I don't think we should be worried too much about Reaves. If there's anything we have to focus on it's keeping our goalies healthy and hot
I agree with what THG said about it today. I like Reaves, but gd, some of the praise has been over the top in my dumb opinion.
Welcome to what Vegas figured out eventually. He doesn't really help you win. He will cost you eventually, usually with a stupid penalty or major in the playoffs.
He brings everything the Leafs have lacked. Big hits, big punches and swagger. I can't see how anyone who is an actual fan of the Leafs would not like having him on the team.
Reaves was scare of Arber Xhekaj he did not ask for a second round is time is done.
This conversation is ridiculous. One of the goals Reaves was on for against mtl Brodie fell over, the other was the Boldy goal which was a horrible goal for Samsonov to let in. Neither of them were Reaves' fault in any way.
As a Pens fan, I wasn't thrilled with trading for Reavo at the time. However, my Reavo shirsey remains one of my favorites, and I was furious with his usage and how he got shipped out. I vehemently disagreed with Sullivan on that front (an ongoing issue).
That being said, he's five years older, and that may add to some incoming frustrations with his play. He can't start every game that way unless he's sitting a fair few.
Well they did win didn't they? So…Reavo….helped that. And he'll do it again. Go Leafs!!!!!
Shows why the leafs have done so badly in the playoffs, reeves has been iuseless
Donât use the math, the jays did, and look what happened.
Keep reavo
I'm not a leafs fan, but comparing him to Simmond is unfair, he is a much better fighter đ
An underrated part of this discussion is how much Reaves has taken up air in the Leafs discussion. He gives quotes to the media constantly, and it takes the attention off the rest of the lineup. All the time we spend talking about Reavo we spend less time putting Samsonov and the D core on blast. And I think that's a good thing.
At the time I'm writing this Auston Matthews has 6 goals on 13 shots. If Auston believes Reaves is what's helping him do that then he gets Reaves. If he thinks it's because he slept cuddling his lucky magical blankie then he gets his damn blankie. Who cares if it's real?
stats like this are literally irrelevant this early in the season, 2 game sample size isn't a sample size.
Glad we didnât gloss over the âmo daddyâ thing đ
I would rather have this team with some toughness as oppose to getting rag dolled under the Dubas Era!
My teams I grew up loving had gonads, cojones, truculence!
He is a glue guy and so far so good. If they start losing, then change things.
Dope show Jesse !!!!
The people who are complaining about Reaves detracting from the Leafs goalscoring ratio are the same people who complain about the Leafs not being tough enough to win in the playoffs. It's a long season, and there's a much bigger perspective than nitpicking at Reaves' numbers.
Stats don't win games, it's what you do on the ice, we need Ryan or else the leafs will get crushed again! So far he has been making clean hits and not taking penalties other than fighting. Auston recognizes his role keep playing him every game! Lucic will!
Leafs do not a guy that takes up a spot on the bench. Defence is full of holes put in a 7 guy. Reaves dont score and will sit in the box way too much.
Reeves adds character to the team which helps them build their team identity, something they have been missing since Kadri was foolishly traded away.
Teammates love him and if you watch the leafs blueprint from game 2 you'd see that. Matthews gave Reaves the belt for player of the game. Reaves sets the tone. Something Toronto has sorely lacked. Everyone has grown 2 inches since he's joined the team.
i'm not a Leafs fan and i don't even really like Reaves that much, but this analytics crap is going too far. My God, these people don't understand what is at the core of athletics and being on a team. You always appreciate dudes like that on your team.
Math and odds wouldâve meant Boston would have the cup last year. Clearly thereâs more to sports
This team always needed the big boys to show up I think everyone talking about a player that has 5-7 mins a night in a 60 minute game đ we always complain it's the big boys that need to show up. I have no problem with that 4th line, no problem with any player that brings a positive vibe to that room.
He's not there for scoring people. I wish he'd add 10 goals and 10 assists on the year, but that's not his job. The job of the 4th line is to battle in the corners, lay some hits, get pucks deep in the offensive zone, and get off. If you're not getting enough offense, lines 1-3 are the problem. We used to have Domi, Tucker, Wendell Clark. We just had Simmonds. Somebody has to be the Cane Corso. The Mastiff. Do you expect us to go all finesse, so we can get pushed around in Boston? Or Chicago by Foligno and Dickerson? Get muffed in Ottawa by Chychrun and Tkachuk? Someone has to drop the mitts. Do you think Tavares is going to? Think Matthews and Marner are calling anyone out? No they aren't. Reeves serves a purpose. Bertuzzi and Domi aren't focused on dropping mitts, but will. The main need is Reaves. Or I guess they want Xhekaj to give us the business when we play Montreal next?
I think Reavo is right where he should be. I had his Leafs sweater before game one.
our 4th line used to be built to score with spezza, etc. what did it do. the team is filled with high end scoring (the 4) and now finally some more depth scoring (knies, bert, domi, calle) and the 4th line is much tougher, got the dead crowd at home rilled up last game and the boys r buzzing. theyâre playing happier and that has been an issue in the leafs recently
I think we have had enough of the Reaves talks, heâs brought in to provide toughness, grit that this team sourly lacked , and he has done it so far.
I love having tough guys on the team but he wonât be the difference between winning and losing for leafs..leave him alone, most of the teams still have a tough guy on the team.
brodie seems like much more of a defensive liability over reaves right now…
Not only does Reaves play a tough game he makes the players on his team a foot taller and 25 pounds heavier.
The man is huuuge inspiration in lockeroom
Hilarious. Laffs being full of laughs yet again < 3.
EDIT: after only 2 games lmao.
Reaves has played 2 games and already has probably laid the biggest hit a leaf has in the last 5 years haha ,
Having a player like Ryan Reaves just makes everyone else stand a little taller when he's on your bench, because you know he's got your back. He's just one of the three new players the Leafs brought in as an infusion of toughness. I think it's a much better idea to start the season with truculence than trade for it at the deadline, because it gives your team an identity instead of responding to a lack of toughness. He's also a 4th line player, so he's probably not going to be on the ice every night, like if they're playing a lighter team without that kind of player.