Ryan Reaves will be in the Leafs lineup for the first time in over a month

Some public complaints made by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves appear to have paid off.

Reaves, who suffered a lower-body injury in December, recently said that he was healthy and ready to go despite still being on injured reserve. After his comments, the Leafs activated him but kept him out of the lineup. That appears to be changing today.

Based on line combinations at morning skate, Reaves will be in the lineup tonight versus the Winnipeg Jets. It will mark his first game since suffering his injury on December 11th against the New York Islanders.

Coming out of the lineup for Reaves is Calle Jarnkrok, who is believed to be injured himself. The Leafs will hope for his absence to be short-term, as he has had a solid season thus far with ten goals and 19 points through 46 games.

Though the 2023-24 season is just past the halfway point, the Reaves signing has been a complete disaster. While not expected to be an offensive producer, he has just one goal through 21 games while sitting with a plus/minus of -11.

Because his deal has two additional seasons remaining with a cap hit of $1.35 million, he has taken plenty of flack during his short time with the Maple Leafs. Now healthy and ready to go, perhaps he can change the public perception he has gained in Toronto over the second half of the season.

After some struggles as of late, the Leafs have picked things up recently with wins in two straight games. They enter tonight’s outing sitting fourth in the Atlantic Division but have a shot at jumping back ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a win.