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NHL analyst makes his opinion on Ryan Reaves' worthiness in Leafs' opening night roster versus Habs extremely clear
TSN hockey analyst Frankie Corrado shared his insights on enforcer Ryan Reaves' potential inclusion in the Toronto Maple Leafs' starting night roster against the Montreal Canadiens.
Speaking on Domino's That's Hockey, Corrado addressed the question of whether preseason tensions between the two teams will carry over into the season. He recalled last season's incident where Arber Xhekaj and Ryan Reaves fought on the opening night.
Corrado noted that while it's important to consider the opponent's actions, making lineup decisions solely based on what the other team might do can be counterproductive.
"We saw what happened last year—Arber Xhekaj and Ryan Reaves got into a fight on night one of the regular season. But if you’re making lineup decisions based on what the other team may or may not do, you’re kind of losing the plot a bit.
At the end of the day, you’re trying to win a hockey game, so you have to field the best team that gives you a chance to win. If you feel Ryan Reaves gives you a better chance to win that game, then by all means, put him in the lineup," Frankie Corrado said (2:05 onwards).
"It shouldn’t matter if Arber Xhekaj is in the lineup or not. There should be plenty of grit on the Leafs anyway."
With a three-year contract, Reaves is expected to be a significant part of the team's strategy moving forward, regardless of Xhekaj's presence. Corrado concluded that he would not be surprised to see Reaves in the lineup against the Canadiens, as the Leafs could look to leverage his experience and grit.
The Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Centre Bell in the season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.
Ryan Reaves shares his thoughts on Cedric Pare and Patrik Laine incident
Reaves recently shared his thoughts on the knee-on-knee collision involving Cedric Pare that resulted in serious injury to Patrik Laine during the Leafs-Canadiens preseason matchup on Sept. 28.
The incident drew significant criticism, with many deeming it a controversial play by Pare. Speaking to the media, Ryan Reaves referred to the situation as an "unfortunate" play and expressed his sympathy for Laine, acknowledging the impact of the injury on the player's career.
“Obviously an unfortunate play," Reaves said. "I know Pare wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. "Feel for Laine, trying to reboot his career in a new city; just obviously an unfortunate play." said Reaves (via TSN).
Meanwhile, Patrik Laine, who recently signed for the Canadiens, will be sidelined for 2-3 months.
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