Ryan Reaves Breaks His Silence After His First Fight Of The Season

It took awhile but Toronto's Ryan Reaves finally got his first fight of the season out of the way against Columbus' Mathieu Olivier in what was an instant classic. Though the fan response wasn't what it could have been, it was still a big burden off Reaves' shoulders.

The fight didn't excite the crowd as much as it should have, it no doubt gave the game an exciting and heated start. Olivier must have taken Reaves' recent comments to heart and obliged the long-time enforcer when he wanted to scrap.

But it was a big mental weight lifted off Reaves as he explains:

He seemed to be rewarded for his early game scrap, and Reaves did look a bit more motivated offensively.

He had two shots on goal including a breakaway attempt, added two hits and also played the highest number of minutes since Dec 31.

While it wasn't Toronto's best game of the year, Reaves certainly played a much better game and if he can translate a couple more fights into momentum for his team, they won't need him to score, just intimidate and motivate.

This season, Reaves has zero goals, two assists, 93 hits but is minus-2. He is in the second year of his three-year, $4.05M deal and could be a waiver candidate or potential trade piece if the Maple Leafs make a deal.

As of now, Reaves is projected to line up with rookies Fraser Minten and newcomer Jacob Quillan for Saturday night's game, and while he may not be able to offer some offensive help, his role to open up the ice and protect the youngsters shouldn't be overlooked.

It's a good thing Ryan Reaves finally got his first fight out of the way, and perhaps this will lead him to not only fight more but contribute more at both ends of the ice.

But that's a big ask, so Toronto should let him do what he does best.

Skate around, hit people, fight, and bring an old-school mentality to a new era of hockey.