It was a tough start to Ryan Reaves’ first season as a Maple Leaf as he was minus-11 through the first 14 games of the season before being a healthy scratch for three games.

As if Reaves’ start in Toronto wasn’t tough enough, he then got injured during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and was forced to miss six weeks, although he revealed he was healthy for a few weeks before actually being reinserted into the lineup. Reaves skated in just 49 games for the Leafs last season and was often made the healthy scratch by Sheldon Keefe if the team was looking for a spark.

Losing Tyler Bertuzzi to the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency certain opened up a roster spot in the forward group, but with a number of prospects such as Alex Steeves, Ryan Tverberg, Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan and the unsigned Nick Robertson, it may be difficult for Reaves to find a permanent home on the fourth line. In addition to the lack of foot-speed for the 37-year-old, the prospects pushing for a roster spot would also help the Leafs’ cap situation.

The leafs currently have $1.275M in cap space without a deal for Robertson or Jani Hakanpaa, and with Reaves’ salary at $1.35M for another two seasons, shedding his cap hit opens up the door for the Leafs to potentially carry an additional forward on a league-minimum deal.

Reaves is one of the most entertaining players in the league and is a team and fan favourite, so it would be a shame to see him go, but if the Leafs are going to get more offensive contributions from their bottom-six, allowing the likes of Steeves, Tverberg or Minten the opportunity to fill that roster spot would go a long way to creating a more balanced lineup.

Personally, I don’t see him going anywhere, given the fact that Craig Berube may enjoy his style of play. That, and the Leafs need someone like him in the lineup at times to help deter the opposition from getting a little too brave.