Maple Leafs winger Ryan Reaves has been on injured reserve for more than a month now with a knee injury. However, he told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he has been ready to return for a couple of weeks and he has simply been scratched for that time. The 37-year-old is in the first season of a three-year, $4.05MM contract signed back in July and things haven’t gone as planned with the veteran struggling when he was in the lineup to the point of being healthy scratched at times before the injury. Reaves noted that he’ll need to “stay patient to get in the lineup — or stay patient for whatever else is going to come” but clearly, his comments suggest that patience is starting to wear a little thin if he has indeed been ready to come back for the last two weeks.
More from the Atlantic:
- Before their game against Tampa Bay, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Brogan Rafferty from AHL Grand Rapids. It’s the second recall of the month for the 28-year-old although he didn’t see any NHL action in his first stint and barring injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll suit up much if at all this time around. Rafferty is in his first season with Detroit’s farm team after signing a two-year, two-way contract back in July. In 35 games so far with the Griffins, he has 15 points.
- The only injured Lightning player who could return before the All-Star break is defenseman Erik Cernak, relays Eduardo A. Encina of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cernak has missed a little more than a week with an upper-body injury but it appears he has a chance to come back in their final three games. Meanwhile, Encina adds that winger Tanner Jeannot remains listed as week-to-week while blueliners Mikhail Sergachev and Haydn Fleury – both currently on LTIR – could return after the break.
What is Reaves asking for here? He defines healthy scratch! He’s nearly 40, Nobody is afraid of him, And Bettman all but took fighting out of the game.
it is about the leafs not having a roster spot for him.. all 23 are filled.. He should leave IR once cleared to play. The leafs should have cleared a spot for him ie sending Homberg, McMann or x back to the Marlies… and play Ryan. I am sure the League will look into this now, because “its the leafs” and undermine Ryans reason to be in the NHL even more.
Toronto management: Yeah, well, suck it up, Buttercup.
Reaves hasn’t been a NHL-caliber player for a few seasons now, and it’s been a good while since he was any kind of enforcer, either. I bet the Marlies have younger guys, just as big, who would be happy to punch guys in the head for league minimum … you could even call him Kyle Clifford. Signing Reaves to that kind of contract was flat out insane. Burying it in the minors and calling up the aforementioned league minimum scrapper would claw away over half a million in cap space that the Leafs will desperately need come the trade deadline.
Except, right. I root for the Bruins. Go, Ryan, go!
Plus/minus never tells the whole story but Reaves has posted an impressive number.
He is -11, worst on the Leafs. His competitors for the green jacket are Kämpf, Klingberg, and Gregor, all at -7. But Reaves has accomplished his feat in only 21 games at 7:20 per night.
By my calculation, Kämpf has a minus of 1.46/60; Reaves 4.29/60. And this is after Keefe has sheltered Reaves!
Are we surprised? No, we are not.
Isn’t it against league rules to have a “healthy” player on LTIR?
Oh wait this is the Leafs – league can’t see the players leafs management says are injured because they can’t keep up to the play any longer .
He wasnt on LTIR. Only IR, no cap savings but an additional roster spot. Yes he should have been activated once cleared to play… question is of course was he cleared to play or just his opinion that he could. If cleared the Leafs need to find a roster spot for him ie send down someone to the Marlies… or waive Ryan.