Leafs' Reaves to be a healthy scratch versus Canucks

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without enforcer Ryan Reaves tonight as they are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks.

Reaves’ absence from the lineup isn’t due to injury but rather the decision of his head coach, Sheldon Keefe. It will mark the first time Reaves, who has gone pointless through 14 games, will sit as a healthy scratch this season.

Coming into the lineup for Reaves will be Bobby McMann, who was recalled from the Toronto Marlies this morning. The 27-year-old has suited up for six games in the AHL this season, scoring two goals and three points. He appeared in 10 games with the Leafs last season, where he chipped in with a lone assist.

While Reaves wasn’t expected to be an offensive contributor of any sort with the Leafs, his early tenure with the organization has been nothing short of a disaster. Despite averaging less than eight minutes per game in ice time, he has a plus/minus of -11 and has fought just twice thus far.

The most disappointing moment of Reaves’ tenure with the Leafs thus far came in a game against the Boston Bruins earlier in the month, where he failed to do anything after Brad Marchand injured his teammate, Timothy Liljegren, with a dangerous hit into the boards. The 36-year-old said afterward that he couldn’t go after the Bruins winger due to the two not being matched up together, which is rather obvious given that Marchand is one of the league’s most dangerous players.

Given how difficult it is for Keefe to trust Reaves in any situation on the ice, one can’t help but wonder what was going through Brad Treliving’s mind when he chose to sign him to a three-year contract this offseason. While things can change, it is looking like a disaster of a contract in the early going.

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