Over the weekend, Ryan Reaves made some comments about being held out of the lineup regardless of the fact that he claimed to be fully healthy that created a bit of a stir. Well, it appears as though the Leafs have blinked first. On Tuesday, the Leafs made a move that some fans may not be too thrilled about.
The 37-year-old veteran of fourteen seasons has only played in 21 games this season, posting one lone goal. He has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 16th after suffering an unfortunate knee injury on his second shift against Columbus on Dec. 14th.
With the Maple Leafs already sitting at a 23-man roster, a corresponding move to activate Reaves was made. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi has been designated as a non-roster player for the time being, as he and his wife await the birth of their second child.
What will be interesting to see is what happens when Bertuzzi is ready to return to the lineup. We don't yet know whether that will be before the All-Star break or after it, as the Leafs have a bye week coming up. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Leafs give Bertuzzi some time off to spend with his wife and newborn ahead of the All-Star break. However, coming out of the break, a move will need to be made to activate Bertuzzi. Will Reaves end up on waivers in a couple of weeks? Will the Leafs waive someone else? Will someone with a waiver exemption, such as Pontus Holmberg or Nicholas Robertson, go down to the minors temporarily? Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a couple of weeks to find out.
