Ryan Reaves to be placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs? One source believes so

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Josh Tupper
September 23, 2023 (7:36)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Ryan Reaves to a 3 year contract on the opening day of free agency. When he was signed, Brad Treliving made a point to emphasize the need for the Leafs to add more "snot" to the locker room. This is definitely a box Reaves checks.

When Reaves signed his deal many people had questions about the length of his deal. Fans were confused why the Leafs were willing to commit 3 years to Reaves, something no other team would likely offer.

According to Leafs Network News, the deal may have been signed with the intent of the Leafs being able to waive Reaves prior to the regular season, similar to how the Leafs operated with Wayne Simmonds last year.

Unless there's a trade ahead of time, I still think Reaves hits waivers early on as a pure flexibility move.

He won't get claimed with his contract. He's not an 82-game player and the Leafs would be forced to play the exact same players if he's part of a 20-man roster.

I think it ends up being close to a Simmonds situation, but he'll likely play more than Simmonds did last year. He'll be yo-yoed, but it'll be paper transactions, and he'll never actually play AHL games. The inflated AAV and extra term will ensure TOR can get away with it.

While it's very difficult to imagine that the Leafs would consider risking losing Reaves, the salary cap could create a situation where the Leafs could have to get creative from a cap perspective.

I for one though don't see a situation where the Leafs would even consider this move, especially just months after signing the league's Heavyweight Champ.

POLL
If the Toronto Maple Leafs waiver Ryan Reaves would he be claimed?
Yes, he'd be claimed	49	40.5 %
No, he would pass through	37	30.6 %
They'd never waive him	35	28.9 %
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