Ryan Reaves Sparks Heated Playoff Lineup Debate Among Leafs Nation

With the Maple Leafs set for a tough but winnable playoff series against the Ottawa Senators to kick off their Stanley Cup run, they are going to need the best possible group of players to not only get them through round one, but keep them afloat as they navigate through a sea of competition.

But with the news that the team called up Ryan Reaves ahead of their playoff series, it's caused quite a stir amongst Maple Leaf fans. While there's no question he's a locker room leader and great for morale, his on-ice performance leaves something to be desired and it's weird for Toronto to mess with success.

So it's pretty unsurprising to hear that Reaves has people both for and against his placement on the roster, especially with this year being arguably their best chance to win it all.

Some were wanting his aggressiveness and physicality in order to intimidate the Senators.

Some even poked fun that what Reaves is going to do is essentially play a role that seems him bring more to the locker room than the ice.

While others are not pleased and are pointing to Reaves' historically bad production, and how he really doesn't belong in such a crucial series.

It's not shocking that people don't want Reaves in the lineup, as it's hard to justify adding someone with just two points in a lineup that needs scoring beyond their top stars.

He is going to hit a bunch and could be an intimidation factor if Ottawa tries anything ugly, but in a full 60-minute slate, the team needs to get results.

If Craig Berube puts Reaves in the lineup, it's not going to be easy for Toronto to get their offense going especially with where he would even fit in, let alone what to do with Max Pacioretty when he returns.

There's nothing wrong with bringing Reaves onto the team if he's going to make sure the locker room stays calm, cool, and collected. But if he finds himself on the ice for more than a game, it could be a swift exit yet again for the Maple Leafs.