Leafs Coach Isn't Shying Away From The Fact That Ryan Reaves Is In The Lineup To Deal With Rangers' Matt Rempe

New York Rangers tough guy Matt Rempe has really earned a reputation for himself.  I think there's plenty of room to debate how effective he is as a player, but there's no denying that he has some real estate in opposing teams' heads.

On Friday night, that opposing team will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, and head coach Craig Berube didn't mince words about why he was adding the Leafs' own tough guy Ryan Reaves and the reasons rhymes with "Shmatt Shrempe."

"(Matt) Rempe over there, obviously," Berube said on Friday ahead of the game at Madison Square Garden. "He’s an effective player, in my opinion. He’s physical. He’s a hard guy to handle. So, I just wanted to get Reavo in there."

Rempe is effective… when he plays.

The 6'9" 22-year-old has become one of the most controversial players in the NHL because of his style of play that has landed him multiple suspensions, despite having appeared in just 40 games over the past two seasons.

But, he's on coaches' minds, and if the Leafs feel like they have to slot Reaves into their fourth line instead of another player with more offensive upside, it might be a win for the Rangers.

Reaves hasn't gotten a ton of playing time as of late, but he has faced off with Rempe with the two heavyweights throwing down last season.

Berube said he hadn't re-watched the fight, but said he might watch it for the occasion.

Why not make watching it a tradition? Like how I watch The Night Stalker every Halloween.

"I haven’t watched it in a while. Maybe this afternoon I’ll pull it up," Berube said. "A kid coming up like that in the league, and what he's done and what he's trying to accomplish and trying to make a name for himself — (Rempe) is an effective guy that way.

"Just go play. And if something happens, it happens. But Reavo in the lineup maybe deters him from being as physical as he has been, or their whole team for that fact. And that’s the reason I went with him tonight."

It'll be interesting to see if this move keeps things cool or if we're going to get Reaves Vs. Rempe II.

I'm inclined to believe we'll see the latter.