Ryan Reaves Forces Maple Leafs Hand In Surprising Roster Decision

In a suspicious turn of events, just one day after Toronto Maple Leafs little-used forward Ryan Reaves complained of being stashed on injured reserve when he claims he's been ready to play for some time, miraculously, he's now been activated.

Ryan Reaves no longer listed on injured reserve. Activated.

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) January 23, 2024

Yes, a temporary roster spot has opened up with Tyler Bertuzzi being designated a non-roster player as he and his wife await the birth of their child. But the timing of Reaves' activation still seems intriguing. Perhaps the NHL might have poked their noses into the Toronto front office and asked a few questions about why a supposedly healthy player was on IR? 

Regardless, Reaves became the squeaky wheel on Monday, and on Tuesday he got the grease. 

The 37-year-old first went on IR on Dec. 14 after injuring his knee, but claims he's been ready to go for two weeks. He vented his frustrations in a piece by Luke Fox of Sportsnet. 

"It's not fun (being a 'healthy' scratch). Nobody likes watching hockey when your team's going out to battle. I definitely hate it. But there's nothing really more I can do. I don't know exactly what the situation is or what's going to happen. I guess just stay patient and find out," Reaves told Fox.

Tuesday, he found out. 

Reaves was signed to a surprising 3-year, $4.05 million deal this past offseason, but the enforcer has only seen action in 21 games, playing an average of just over seven minutes a night. He has registered just one point, along with a plus/minus of -11. 

It still remains to be seen if Reaves actually suits up for the Leafs next game Wednesday night, as there still seem to be 12 forwards that head coach Sheldon Keefe would go to ahead of him, even with Bertuzzi not on the roster.