The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the best teams in the NHL, but one analyst thinks they need to remove one player from their roster.
NHL analyst James Mirtle of The Athletic believes the Maple Leafs should waive veteran fan-favorite forward Ryan Reaves ahead of the trade deadline. Mirtle believes Reaves doesn’t have a spot on the roster and by waiving him, it would save Toronto some salary to trade for another player.
“Reaves recently turned 38, making him the sixth-oldest forward in the league, and Friday’s game in New York was his first game in weeks,” Mirtle wrote. “Reaves has averaged just 7:45 ice time per game this season, playing 34 games, scoring no goals and recording two assists, 14 shots on goal and one fight. He’s become a popular figure in the dressing room, however, and Treliving did give him a three-year deal in free agency two years ago.
“Plus, coach Craig Berube played a similar role late in his career and values what Reaves does,” Mirtle added. “If they need to free up some cap space painlessly, however, they could waive Reaves’ $1.35 million contract and get $1.15 million in relief by demoting him to the minors. (Or clear the whole thing if another team claims him.) Then recall him whenever injuries hit or once the cap lifts to start the playoffs.”
Reaves is in the second year of his three-year $4.05 million deal with the Maple Leafs. He was signed to be an enforcer. But he has fought just once and hasn’t provided much offense, which puts his roster spot into question.
Reaves Finally Returned to Maple Leafs Lineup
Toronto head coach Craig Berube reinserted Reaves into the lineup against the New York Rangers on February 28.
It was Reaves’ first game since February 4 and he says during the time off he was staying ready by working with the Maple Leafs skill coaches.
“Just making sure I’m hanging out with boys as much as I can. Just kind of keeping my mind fresh and not getting too distracted with the situation,” Reaves said. “It’s been a while, been like a month. So, playing against an old team in a fun arena that’s always buzzing, it’s always fun. There’s always a good buzz when there’s fights here. The crowd seems to really like that. They get up, and you can feel the energy.”
Reaves, of course, was put into the lineup to match Matt Rempe but the two didn’t end up fighting.
Reaves has recorded 0 goals and 2 assists for 2 points in 35 games.
Analyst Also Calls for Maple Leafs to Waive Another Forward
Along with Reaves, Mirtle is also calling for Toronto to waive or trade Connor Dewar.
Dewar is a fourth-line forward who adds some physicality but he isn’t getting much playing time. With that, Mirtle thinks the Maple Leafs should look to get rid of him to create more cap room.
“Dewar played for the first time in more than a month Sunday in the win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. But, you’ll be forgiven if you missed it. He received only 8.5 minutes. Part of a trend of declining ice time for the sparkplug from The Pas, Manitoba,” Mirtle wrote. “He’s played only 29 games this season with an average of around 10 minutes a game…
“Dewar is a good defensive player, is popular in the dressing room and brings some nice energy down the lineup. But, the Leafs have a lot of those types right now and are going to have to shift forwards out to accommodate any newcomers. His $1.18 million salary can almost entirely be buried in the minors,” Mirtle added.
The NHL trade deadline is set for March 7.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Analyst Urges Maple Leafs to Waive Fan-Favorite Forward Ahead of Trade Deadline appeared first on Heavy Sports.