The free-agent frenzy is less than 24 hours away and speculation about what teams might do when the clock strikes noon on July 1st is building rapidly.
Through all the chatter about whether or not the Leafs will bring back the likes of Noel Aciari and Luke Chien or who they might sign on the open market, Darren Dreger reports that Ryan Reeves is high on the Leafs roster.
No doubt it is at the top of the list. We discussed this on Wednesday on TSN. Great personality and obvious toughness. https://t.co/hFlDGq9JoU
– Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 30, 2023
This confirms Reporting by David Pagnotta And speculation made by Elliott Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show earlier this week that a player like Reaves (Who will hit the open market) trying to make the lower six heavier and more challenging to play against. With more grumbles linking the striker to the Leafs, the logical conclusion is that Toronto will be one of the teams scrambling to land Reaves as one of their Opening Day signings.
Reeves started last season on the Rangers, going scoreless in 12 games while averaging just 8:27 minutes of ice time. Around late November, he was traded to the Wild in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and saw his offensive production improve to 15 points in his last 61 games before going stale in six playoff games at Minnesota.
It’s not just scoring that the 36-year-old is known for, it’s likely his physical presence and seasoned drive is why the Leafs are interested in acquiring his services. Since entering the league with the Blues during the 2010-11 season, Reaves has ranked 3rd among active players in hits, 10th in hits per game, and 10th in hits per game, and Eighth minutes in a penalty shootout. Last season saw him finish with 196 hits per season at an average of 17.68 hits per 60, Good enough for 25 in the NHL.
Analytics Projects Reaves will sign a one-year contract with AAV worth $886,000, so he won’t break the bank as a fourth-line right winger. Given the contracts Nick Foligno and Corey Perry have, the Leafs could get a player of the same mold for a lot cheaper.
And as long as Reaves maintains his average ice time of around nine minutes a night and several other forward signings follow suit, this could work out very well for the Leafs. However, don’t be surprised if it’s one of their first deals when the gates open in 18 hours at the time of writing.
stats from Hockey-Reference.com And StatMuse.