Maple Leafs Walking into Trap Playing Reaves vs Flyers’ Hathaway

It appears the Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing in their enforcer to play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday as the club gets set for a grudge rematch. Ryan Reaves will draw in tonight for the Leafs, as per head coach Craig Berube. The only logical explanation is that they want Reaves on the ice to force Hathaway to answer the bell after fighting with Jake McCabe.

McCabe was injured in a scrap with Hathaway after falling and hitting his head on the ice. Reaves’ job is likely to make sure Hathaway understands the consequences of playing a role in a top defenseman getting injured.

Nick Robertson is a projected scratch for the game.

This Is A Mistake by the Maple Leafs

On many levels, this is a poor move by Toronto. It’s understandable that the team might want to exact a little revenge, but there’s not much to gain here.

First, Hathaway wasn’t actually responsible for McCabe getting injured. The Leafs defenseman hit his head when he fell after a fight he started. Hathaway did bump into the Leafs’ goaltender. That said, McCabe egged on that scrap and got the worst of it.

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Second, Reaves is arguably not a useful player. If he comes into the lineup and Robertson comes out, the Leafs are that much weaker offensively. Reaves is supposed to be an enforcer, but he hasn’t had a fight all season. The assumption here is that Hathaway will take the fight. He might and he might not. If he doesn’t, what did the Leafs gain? If he does and happens to beat Reaves, the Maple Leafs look like fools.

This game is in Philadelphia. A Reaves scrap with Hathaway is likely to give the Flyers the momentum, potentially regardless of the outcome. No one expects Hathaway to win that fight. If he does, the Leafs are doomed. If he doesn’t, it changes very little.

Berube Is Looking for Reaves To Get Even

This is just not smart management by a Toronto team that has little to gain here. Berube’s first comment rings disingenuous when compared to his second. “I just think going off last game, too, and Reavo’s been out a few games, so I wanted to get him back in.” Ya, OK. He added, “I think obviously there’s going to be some spillover. I think that’s just natural in this league.” This sounds more accurate.

We know what this is, even if Berube won’t outright admit it. And, despite the fact Berube is not instructing Reaves to start something, this is a player with a history of crossing the line.

“Well, I don’t talk about him at all, really. We know what kind of player he is. He’s a hard player. He does a good job at it. He’s physical, and we know he’s going to be physical. He’s not going to shy away from it and we just gotta be prepared for it,” Berube said.

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