The Ryan Reaves signing in Toronto this summer is not a hard one to understand. The Leafs were a team who didn't have a lot of players who were capable of playing nasty, heavy hockey and the Reaves addition ensures that the opposition either stays in line or pays the price.
In last season's playoffs, we saw the Florida Panthers eliminate the Leafs in Game 5 of round 2. We also saw Radko Gudas stand over rookie goaltender Joseph Woll, screaming in his face in a showing of poor sportsmanship. A true antagonist, Gudas has never cared what anyone thinks of him or how he plays the game. Reaves, however, essentially promised Leaf fans on Monday that nothing like that will happen while he's wearing a Leafs sweater - and if it does, he implied that he'll be more than happy to dispense some ice justice.
Reaves is a player who won't hesitate to take matters into his own hands if he feels that another player has crossed the line. We've seen it countless times before and even though, at 36, he's not a spring chicken anymore, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
I'm sure that Gudas isn't too concerned about it now that he's out of the Atlantic Division. Gudas, who was with the Panthers last year, signed a multi-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, meaning that he'll only play against the Leafs twice this season, with the first meeting not coming until January 3rd. The 2nd meeting between the Leafs and the Ducks will occur on February 17th.
