'Some Situations Could Have Been Handled Differently’ Ryan Reaves Reflects On Maple Leafs Tenure Ahead of Return to Toronto
Ryan Reaves returns to Toronto with a chip on his shoulder, feeling the organization mishandled his exit and wrongly wrote him off as an NHL player.
Video Transcript
Uh, we'll stick with goaltenders, but on the positive side, Uh, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had two stellar performances.
Uh, from Dennis Hildeby, the Hildebeest, uh, since Joseph Woll went down against Florida Panthers.
This is crucial because the Leafs, Obviously, Anthony Stolarz is already out.
Uh, Toronto has had so many injuries, And, uh, you know, theyve had inconsistency at net because of those injuries, Which is to say, you know, Joseph Wall was out with a personal matter early.
Now Stolarz is out; now Wall is hurt.
Hildeby gets a 29-save shutout against the Lightning, then a 34-save performance in a Shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night.
Uh, the Leafs are back in the playoff hunt, because anybody, It seems Can, uh, can lead the Atlantic Division.
Division for a few days, then become a wild card team or worse, That just seems to be how it is this year.
Uh, Drew, I'll go to you first on this one.
Can Hildeby help the Leafs stay afloat until one of their two usual starters returns?
Yeah, I think he can, and sometimes for a 5- to 10-game stretch.
If he comes in, the guys are gonna really rally around him.
Which they look like they're clearly doing, and I think he is capable.
And the Leafs cant afford a 5- or 10-game bad stretch with where they are in the standings.
Right now.
So, I think its been an amazing boost to their Team, and I mean, cool story; hopefully, you can keep it rolling.
Mhm.
Yeah, Mike, we have seen this numerous times.
Times, uh, when a new goaltender will come in and the league just doesnt really have a book On him.
You think, I mean, Arthur Shilas did it?
Uh, last year.
Andrew Hammond was probably one of the most Most famous of all.
All time, when he went on that wild run Ottawa.
So, what do you think about Hildeby?
He obviously has NHL size.
He's a tall drink of water.
Uh, but can he kind of bridge the gap for the Leafs during this key stretch?
I actually do think so, and I think the Leafs have another goaltender, that You know, you could kind of pencil in and say, All right, You know, maybe the future looks like Joseph Wall, Dennis Hildeby.
Uh, tandem, you know, maybe next season.
Um, I think it gives the Leafs a lot of options.
And you're right, 6'7 goaltenders, you know, are pretty rare to find.
And Dennis Hildeby looks solid, um, 4th-round pick, so it's not like he came out of nowhere.
Um, I think.
The Leafs are going to have fun discussions about their hand.
Like, you know, people say the three-headed monster in a negative way.
I think with the Leafs, if theyve a situation where youre trying to find Hildeby, Stolars and Wall all playing time, well, you just have to look around the league.
Ryan, go!
OK, how many teams would love to have one of these three goalies?
And, you know, maybe you hang on to Hildeby, maybe you hang on to Wall.
And you say, Anthony Stolarz just signed a great extension.
And you know, would a Winnipeg who's struggling to find a backup for Connor Hellebuyck be Interested?
Wouldn't Edmonton be interested?
Heck, would Montreal, which just called up Fowler, uh, From the minors because, yeah, you know, Dovich and Montebeau have just been awful.
Would they be interested?
Like, there are probably other teams, Not just Canadian teams are interested in goalies, so, You know, the Leafs, if they could keep, you know, if Hellebuyck keeps rising and proving that He could be a starter, or at least a competent guy you could throw in tandem, Like I said, come trade deadline, this could be a great bonus for the Leafs.
