"Stick with Reavo": Brian Burke thinks Leafs need to keep playing Reaves
The former architect of the Toronto Maple Leafs is once again advocating for a little bit of truculence.
In a clip from an interview today on The Leafs Nation’s Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and former Toronto forward Jay Rosehill, ex-Toronto president Brian Burke shared his thoughts on the team’s recent benching of Ryan Reaves.
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"Stick with Reavo and things will come around for him there."
– @Burkie2020 on what the #LeafsForever should do with Ryan Reaves.@thegoldenmuzzy | @Jay_D_Rosehill pic.twitter.com/tjJFnyiLUx
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) November 22, 2023
“I like the coach in Toronto. I think Sheldon Keefe keeps doing a really good job here. But I think anyone [who] thought when they brought Ryan Reaves to Toronto that he’d play every night is out of their minds. That’s a player that provides a very specific skill set,” Burke said.
“He’s the king of the jungle. He’s as tough as they come. He’s a great kid. And I think he can play those limited minutes and do those things. He’s done it historically.”
Reaves, 35, suited up for Toronto’s first 14 contests of the season before finding himself as a healthy scratch for each of the last three games. Signing this past summer on a three-year contract worth $1.35 per season, he has yet to score a point for Toronto while being on the ice for 11 goals against at even strength and not a single Leafs goal.
“I think he needs linemates that complement that [skillset]. And he doesn’t need to play every day, every night. So I think my prediction is stay stay with this. Stick with Reavo. And things will come around for him there,” Burke added.
Burke also mentioned how he felt there was a quick pile-on from media and fans to Reaves’ tough start.
“I think the write-off on Ryan Reaves was very quick in this market, which is ironic. It’s ironic because the pressure of the Toronto market, as you know, you played there, the pressure’s terrific anyway,” Reaves said to Rosehill.
“They’re quick to turn on people. And they’re quick to blame experiments that don’t seem to work and they seemed to turn very quickly on Ryan Reaves and I don’t understand it because I like this player a lot.”
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