The Maple Leafs have been having a hard time winning games lately, and Ryan Reaves faced the brunt of it when he was humiliated on social media by them. Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Ryan <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/craig-berube-demotes-ryan-reaves-after-his-performance-against-the-montreal-canadiens' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Reaves has had a rough start to the season</a>, and there is even a question or two about whether he has any real value on the ice. The rugged, physical player who was signed to be an on-ice enforcer has been a healthy scratch for a few games already and hasn't been able to bring that momentum-shifting toughness that he is so known for. That absence hasn't gone unnoticed, as former NHL players and fans alike have voiced concerns over his lack of engagement in situations where a fight or a hard hit might rally the team. On Thursday night, Reaves returned to the lineup as Toronto hosted the St. Louis Blues, a game with added significance as Blues coach Craig Berube faced his former team. It was a high-stakes win for the Leafs and their faithful after a gut-wrenching loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets just a few nights prior. Unfortunately, the Toronto team came out flat-footed again, allowing an early goal and visibly frustrated as they continued to try to bounce back from that blowout loss. Soon, frustrated fans directed anger at Reaves, wondering what he brought to this team's effort. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1848880821253427304'> </a></blockquote></div> The club used an image of Reaves from the warmups in the game against Columbus on Tuesday with the lopsided score shown next to him. It was that move that brought fan backlash since it had the semblance of a direct, if subtle, dig at the underperforming forward. <a href='https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/maple-leafs-bumble-way-to-5-1-loss-in-berube-s-first-game-against-blues-since-firing-1.2195003' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The same script played out on Thursday evening</a>: with Toronto trailing St. Louis 2-0 after the first period, the Maple Leafs' social media account posted another warmup photo of Reaves with the score, a move that only further enraged the fans. It begged questions of whether management was scapegoating Reaves for the team's poor start. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1849598824953590056'> </a></blockquote></div> That story gets repeated in the on-ice numbers for Reaves in consecutive losses. He took two minor penalties for roughing on Tuesday and was a -1 in just over eight minutes of play. On Thursday night, he played nearly 10 minutes but was again a minimal contributor in recording just one shot on goal in the 5-1 defeat. The underwhelming production on the scoresheet and in the penalty box has led many to question whether Reaves is meeting those expectations and raising the Leafs' energy. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/westerncivi/status/1849599016561938739'> </a></blockquote></div> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/blueandwhite93/status/1849599909927977099'> </a></blockquote></div> And despite all of the above criticism, Ryan Reaves remains a talking point, some would say needlessly, amongst the Leafs' faithful. Be it his on-ice play, his apparent 'potential', or his picture being used in tweets, he's part of this team's narrative. As Toronto works to right the ship in the early season, Reaves' role and performance will be under constant scrutiny; the hope, from both the fans and the organization, is that he can bring trademark tough guy contributions to the table soon.