Maple Leafs make lineup changes to handle Matt Rempe

The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing off against the New York Rangers later tonight and head coach Craig Berube has confirmed to media that he is making lineup changes for the game.

Berube revealed how he was inserting veteran forward Ryan Reaves back into the Leafs’ lineup, hoping he can deter some of Rangers’ enforcer Matt Rempe’s physicality.

“I think Rempe over there. He’s an effective player in my opinion.”

Reaves has not played since Feb 4 when he failed to record a point against the Calgary Flames. In 33 games this season with Toronto, Reaves has tallied just two assists and has not been the usual enforcer he’s been known to be.

Reaves dropped the gloves for the first time this season on January 22nd. He is in his 15th NHL season and the fanbase in Toronto is still trying to make sense of why he was offered a surprising three-year deal in 2023, with a cap hit of $1,350,000 per season. He hasn’t proven his worth and honestly, Toronto could use his cap more effectively.

Let’s see if he makes a difference tonight when he gets another chance under Berube.

In other lineup news, after a scare on Tuesday, forward William Nylander he’s healthy after not feeling well enough to play in overtime against the Boston Bruins. He is expected to play tonight while Joseph Woll is feeling under the weather, which means Anthony Stolarz is projecting to start again tonight, per Luke Fox.