Ryan Reaves does not like the mute button used on him.
After Tuesday’s first on-ice appearance since his five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head Saturday night on Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse, the veteran winger was ready to give his version of events. He’d practised as an eighth defenceman partnered with Simon Benoit and a media crowd had begun forming around his stall as he took his skates off.
But a club media relations official moved in and told him it’s team policy for suspended players not to comment until after their sentence, which in his case would be prior to the Dec. 4 match versus Nashville. Reaves was miffed at being shut down as he’s hardly immune from hearing the many criticisms of his actions that followed the hit.
Last year he refused a team request to tone down his comments after Morgan Rielly pursued Ottawa’s Ridley Greig for showboating an empty net goal. The old schooler in Reaves wanted to address this issue right away, his fourth career suspension in nearly 1,000 regular-season and playoff games, though none since the 2021 playoffs.
“See you guys in two and a half weeks,” he said as reporters exited.
Reaves’ status as a repeat offender factored in the NHL department of player safety’s ruling. His shoulder caught Nurse with his head down coming out from the Oilers net trying to control a rolling puck and in the DOPS opinion, went for the noggin when an option to hit him in the “core” was there.
A bloodied Nurse remains out five to 10 days, while a concerned Reaves had gone to the Oilers room after Saturday’s match to see how he was coping.
Which isn’t to say the rest of the Leafs thought the punishment fit the crime.
“First of all, I never want to see anybody injured,” general manager Brad Treliving said. “I have no doubt in my mind there was no intent on Ryan’s part. He’s going in there to make a hit, it’s a hockey play that goes wrong. If you look, and there’s been lots of talk as well, he’s going into forecheck and as contact is made, it’s unfortunate.
“We accept it. There was a suspension earlier in the week with (a hit by Los Angeles winger) Tanner Jeannot where we thought maybe three games like that would tie into (Reaves). But I’m not going to sit here and bicker. It didn’t end up the way we wanted, but I understand the league’s position.”
Reaves’ unique role as on-ice enforcer, off-ice morale booster will have to be filled by committee.
“It’s going to be tough, he just has that presence he’s developed over the years,” said fellow fourth liner Steve Lorentz. “It’s not so much the fighting aspect, but he just plays hard and physical and that’s what our fourth line wants to bring as our identity.
“I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t give you that peace of mind, that security, on your side. But that doesn’t mean we’ll go out there and be reckless. Whoever is in that spot, Alex Steeves or Connor Dewar, we have to finish our checks and contribute to create that energy. Reavo was doing all that, but when he comes back, he’ll be ready to rock.”
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