Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves ‘excited’ to play for Craig Berube
By Sam Nestler
9 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves just missed out on playing for Craig Berube in St. Louis. Reaves suited up for the St. Louis Blues for the first seven seasons of his career from 2010 to 2017. Berube coached the Blues from 2018 to 2024, including winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Now, Berube has been hired as the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Reaves can’t wait to get started.
“I’m excited to play for him,” Reaves said Thursday on Leafs Nation’s ‘Leafs Morning Take’. “He likes the style I play and obviously, he played that style back then. But even hearing from guys who played for him in St. Louis, they loved playing for him, they loved the energy he brought, they loved the messages he brought to the room. I think it’s going to be a good breath of fresh air for the boys here, and I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Berube seems the perfect fit for Reaves and the Maple Leafs. He has a proven record of hard work and winning both as an NHL player and coach, he coaches tough and expects a lot from his players and he rose to the occasion and excelled when he was put in a tough spot in 2018-19. The Blues were in last place with a 7-9-3 record when they fired Mike Yeo and promoted Berube to interim head coach. Under Berube, St. Louis went 38-19-6 before making a magical run to their first Stanley Cup.
For Reaves, Berube should be the perfect coach. Not only will he allow Reaves to utilize his toughness, he’ll encourage it. And for the Leafs, a club still looking to advance past the first or second round of the playoffs with an incredibly skilled roster, Berube could be the key to taking this organization to that next level they have been missing for so long.
Reaves also touched on his aforementioned “tale of two seasons” that saw him battle injuries and a stretch of nasty play in the first half of the season, before seemingly finding his game in the second half and delivering on what he was advertised to be. He finished the season with four goals and six points to go along with five fights after returning from his knee injury in January.
The Winnipeg native is about to enter the second year of a three-year deal worth $1.35 million he signed last summer.
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