In their 2022–23 campaign, the Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to return to the postseason following another disappointing season. Fortunately, they have games in hand on every team above them. As of the writing of this article, they are tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s reasonable to assume that they will add players to their roster and attempt to make their team the most competitive it has ever been at the 2024 Trade Deadline. A franchise suffers when it hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, so they’ll be trying to refute the notion that they aren’t capable of doing so.
With just under $35,000 remaining on their salary cap this season and no money accumulated for the deadline, the Maple Leafs don’t have a lot of room. The team will need to release some cash in order to be able to make trades and bolster their roster. One veteran forward who has found himself on the outside looking in is Ryan Reaves, who signed a three-year deal worth $1.35 million per season this past offseason. There’s a chance that his time with the Maple Leafs is drawing to an end given his remarks that he detests sitting out after feeling well for a few weeks.
Reaves omitted the word “speculate,” which might allude to additional behind-the-scenes activity. His output indicates that he is the odd man out and that the team may decide to let him go in order to clear cap space, regardless of whether he is headed out of Toronto. That being said, three rebuilding teams might be interested in signing him and adding veteran depth to the team while it goes through its protracted rebuilding process.
