Reaves rediscovers game with Maple Leafs after early struggles: ‘I had no confidence’

Reaves rediscovers game with Maple Leafs after early struggles: ‘I had no confidence’

Toronto fell 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday — a night where, despite the result, Reaves produced one of his best performances in blue and white.

It was also a scenario the bruising winger had a tough time envisioning a few months ago.

Reaves, who signed a three-year contract in July as part of new general manager Brad Treliving’s snarl-focused roster remake, suffered a knee injury Dec. 14.

A rocky start in Toronto had already seen him yo-yo in and out of the lineup with one goal and a minus-11 rating through 21 games. Now he had to sit for an extended period.

Reaves wouldn’t see action again until Jan. 24 when the door finally swung back open.

Those six weeks of inaction helped turn the 37-year-old’s season around.

“Used that as a mini training camp,” Reaves said. “I worked on everything that I could. I was doing two-, three-a-days (training sessions) sometimes.

“

One of the biggest personalities in the league and the owner of a million-dollar smile, it’s hard to imagine the Winnipeg native’s self-belief in tatters.

“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.”

He’s since found a landing spot on Toronto’s fourth line alongside David Kampf and Connor Dewar.

Reaves looks quicker, more engaged and has shown confidence with the puck. He’s been in the right spots, which has allowed him to deliver punishing checks with his six-foot-two, 226-pound frame.

Just ask Lightning defencemen Victor Hedman and Matt Dumba after Wednesday.

“Compared to the beginning of season, it’s been night and day,” said Reaves, whose contract carries a US$1.35-million average annual value through 2025-26.

“It’s what they’ve expected out of me.”

Reaves, who also fought Tampa forward Tanner Jeannot on Wednesday, has been a hit off the ice, with his lighthearted demeanour a welcome addition to a locker room under a constant microscope in hockey’s biggest media market.

“Great teammate,” Leafs star Auston Matthews said. “He’s brought a lot of energy, a lot of positivity to the group. You see the impact he makes on the ice, the way he plays, his physicality, fighting.

“