Craig Berube makes huge lineup move involving Ryan Reaves ahead of game against the Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube made a notable lineup move ahead of tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tonight will be the third time the Leafs and Canadiens have faced off against each other this season.
The season series is currently tied 1-1 with the Habs winning the first matchup on opening night and the Leafs winning their most recent game.
The two clubs will not face each other again until April.
So far, Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves has been in the lineup each time the team has faced their French-Canadian rivals and that will be no different tonight.
Head coach Craig Berube confirmed Reaves would get the game saying that the team wants to play a 'heavy game.'
"It's a big game. Montreal. It's a big rivalry, obviously. They got some physical players over there, so we've got to be physical tonight... We got to play a heavy game."
Reaves will start on the fourth line alongside David Kampf and Steven Lorentz.
Leafs fans are not excited about the move as Reaves is objectively the worst forward on the team.
Many are particularly frustrated that he is getting the game over Fraser Minten, who was recently called up but has not appeared in a game since December.
Minten was a second-round pick of the Leafs, who selected him 38th overall in 2022. He has 2 goals and 4 points in 11 games with the Leafs this season.
Reaves meanwhile, is meant to bring physicality and act as an enforcer and yet he has failed to drop the gloves a single time this season in 28 games.
Will that change tonight? The Canadiens certainly have multiple players who are known to fight, but nothing materialized the first two times these teams played each other.
If Reaves does not do something notable in the game it will potentially be a bad look for Berube, especially if the Habs win.
After all, the Canadiens are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, and they should not be underestimated.
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