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Ryan Reaves admits he lacked confidence in early days as a Maple Leaf

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Dawson McKenzie
April 5, 2024 (11:07)

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Ryan Reaves in an altercation on the ice against the Ottawa Senators.

Photo credit: TSN

There is no question that Ryan Reaves had some struggles in his early days as a Toronto Maple Leaf, but he has seemed to find his game. He now explained why he struggled at the beginning of the season.

When Toronto Maple Leafs' General Manager Brad Treliving signed Ryan Reaves to a 3-year contract, many fans were confused and wondering if Reaves would be able to live up to the deal. At the beginning of the season, it looked like he wouldn't. Reaves struggled to get his game going and then went out with an injury that kept him from the lineup.

However, since his return from injury, Reaves has found his game again on the fourth line. The Leafs' fourth line has looked great in recent games, doing exactly what they are supposed to do by being physical and creating some offensive zone time. Ryan Reaves recently explained the reason for some of his struggles, and how he lacked confidence at the start of the year.

"Used that as a mini training camp," Reaves said of his six-week absence from the lineup. "I worked on everything that I could. I was doing two-, three-a-days (training sessions) sometimes.

"Just trying to get confidence back."

"Confidence is a real thing," Reaves said. "First time I've probably gone through something like that in my career where I just felt like nothing was going right. I just felt like I had no confidence. Used that opportunity to try and build it back."

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For the Leafs, having Ryan Reaves playing at the top of his game is a vital component of the playoff lineup. While they are a grittier team, on the whole, this season, being able to play Reaves in the playoffs will add an extra component of toughness that could go a long way against a team like Boston or Florida. Hopefully, Reaves will be able to continue this success into the playoffs.

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5 AVRIL \| 106 ANSWERS Ryan Reaves admits he lacked confidence in early days as a Maple Leaf Do you think Ryan Reaves has improved during his time as a Leaf?
Yes	61	57.5 %
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