When the news broke that Ryan Reaves was being promoted from the fourth line to the third line, some fans questioned the intent. If you haven’t been following Reaves’ game closely this season, you may have missed the fact he has elevated his game, shed the enforcer label and has transformed into a strong, powerful forward. To date, shifting Reaves to the third line has been a success.
Reaves’ time on the third line might be temporary, but he has offered a unique look for the Paul Stastny and Dmitrij Jaskin line. Reaves offered the line the perfect combination of strength and power to go along with the more nimble talent of his two teammates. Reaves pursues the puck and lights up the opposition, forcing turnovers and allowing his partners to generate chances. One of the criticisms of the St. Louis forwards is a lack of size, but Reaves has addressed that concern on the third line.
When Jaden Schwartz returns, the Blues will likely reunite the Schwartz-Tarasenko-Lehtera line. This would free up Steve Ott who has been seeing some time with Tarasenko and Lehtera. The Blues could then shift Ott over to join Stastny and Jaskin, but I’d argue that Ott’s play has earned him a spot on the fourth line and Reaves’ success on the third line should allow the experiment to continue.
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