First up in this series is Ryan Reaves.

A few weeks back I looked at what the Leafs had to sell and for the most part, it primarily focused on why certain players were no longer a fit for the Maple Leafs and gave a very high-level view of why another team would potentially take a player back. The reasons for moving on from Ryan Reaves are abundantly clear in that they are getting more usable minutes elsewhere and with the influx of toughness throughout the lineup in the form of players like Steven Lorentz, Max Pacioretty, Bobby McMann, and Matthew Knies who have comfort with finishing their checks, players like Pontus Holmberg who draw penalties, and of course, players like Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Connor Dewar and Max Domi that will drop the gloves as needed, the Leafs have a league minimum calibre forward that comes with an excess cap hit of near $600k that the Leafs are likely better off using elsewhere.

What we don’t know is how much value the Leafs put on Ryan Reaves, who is a good teammate and good in the locker room. We see that even when he isn’t playing he’s down in the tunnel giving players high fives as they hit the ice and that gives the impression that he is a guy who cares, a guy who likes and is liked by his teammates and fits with the “everyone has a role to play” image that teams want their players to have. From the outside that doesn’t look like enough to keep him on the roster over a player who gives Toronto a better chance to win hockey games, but it is highly likely that Brad Treliving and Craig Berube disagree with me. That’s where of all the players we’ll look at, I’d wager that Reaves is the one that is least likely for the Leafs to move, and the limited cap benefit also plays a role in that. On the other hand, Reaves is already sitting at the bottom of the roster and if upgrades are coming, bumping the player at the bottom off of the roster makes the most sense and represents the biggest upgrade.

It’s not surprising that the majority of playoff-bound teams are light on the hitting side of things. Especially in the regular season and the importance of puck control, good teams are going to focus on winning with skill and possession over brute force. The narrative is always that things change come playoff time and some teams might want to equip themselves for that.

The Oilers would be an easy team to point to for an upgrade, but with Evander Kane likely to be ready come playoff time and having players like Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm who will shift towards more physical versions of themselves come playoff time, the Oilers might not want to jeopardize what they have throughout the lineup, especially when it didn’t hinder them from a cup appearance last season.

Still, the Oilers are a smaller team in their bottom six forward group and with not a ton of cap space, Reaves might be a depth fit. We know the Oilers love Leaf hand-me-downs and maybe Reaves is the next in line.

The Stars are another team that is light on hitting but when you look at Matt Dumba, Mason Marchment, Esa Lindell, Ilya Lyubushkin, Cody Ceci, and others, it’s likely a concise choice. Nothing about Jim Nill says “I’m going to bring in an enforcer” and that’s part of the reason why people think he’s good at his job and his team has been successful.

The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild are two teams that previously had Ryan Reaves in their lineup and seeing their hitting numbers down this year. They know what he brings as a team guy, but in Minnesota’s case, it’s hard to imagine they are looking to supplement Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman. The Knights have Keegan Kolesar, he’s maybe not the heavyweight that Reaves is but he is a practical version of toughness, and this isn’t a lineup that can’t get by on who it already has and knows what extra things need to be done in the playoffs.

That brings us to the best options: Winnipeg, Columbus, and oddly enough, Tampa Bay.

The Columbus interest should stem from their ability to add in any way they like. They have the space and while they have been a team that has been tough to play against with players like Matthieu Olivier in the mix, there is the opportunity for them to hedge their bets and deal Olivier for a windfall and try Ryan Reaves in a similar role to see if Lightning can strike twice.

The Lightning as a potential first-round opponent for the Leafs wouldn’t be an ideal landing spot, but more than in recent years they lack some edge in their lineup. Jon Cooper has always done well with veteran additions and infusing toughness at the deadline into their lineup, and given the eclectic group of bottom-six forwards, Reaves seems like he could fit in with situational usage. The Lightning are past their days of big deadline splashes and as they regroup, smaller low-cost additions like Reaves could make sense.

The Jets are the narrative favourite in this race as Reaves returning to his hometown team at the height of their success and addressing a potential depth need for them looks like a strong fit. Winnipeg could certainly use his toughness and his elder statesman status.  With the Jets becoming more active at the trade deadline last season, the bar is likely set fairly high for them to be active during their strongest season. No trade clauses will always present an obstacle for Winnipeg but that doesn’t apply to Reaves.

Expecting any kind of return of Ryan Reaves is likely getting too greedy. This is purely an exercise about finding ways to not deal him at a loss. It’s probably even asking too much that a team take him out right and there likely isn’t a contract spot to be gained here and it feels like even a 7th-round pick is getting greedy. Moving Reaves would likely result in an AHLer (not a prospect) as the return. Reaves gets his change of scenery and avoids a potential waivers situation, and the Leafs likely free up $1.35M AAV this season and the next while taking on an AHL player who won’t interfere too much in the organization’s overall direction.

If Toronto feels that they are hurting from the lack of leadership or toughness they do have Kyle Clifford on the Marlies who would likely jump at the opportunity to get one last kick at the NHL can. It is also very likely that the Leafs will be exploring other locker room leaders and they will likely include practical toughness as a characteristic too given Brad Treliving’s affinity for that archetype. If that’s not the case, the Leafs do have Nikita Grebenkin representing a ball of energy at their disposal as well.

Making a case for not having Reaves on the Leafs roster is an easy one and while it is hard to envision other teams looking for enforcers, guys like Reaves always find jobs. That said, Treliving and Berube haven’t shown any signs of wanting to move on from Reaves so unless it is absolutely necessary, he probably stays.