Ryan Reaves Reveals the Real Reason He Rarely Dropped the Gloves Last Season
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Former Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves explained that him not fighting this season wasn't anything to do with his willingness not to; just circumstance.
Traded a few weeks ago to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for young defenseman Henry Thrun, Ryan Reaves is looking to finish off the rest of his career in sunny California, and hopefully hit his milestone 1,000 games before retirement.
Bad Luck Ryan: How Reaves Couldn't Drop the Gloves
Though he still took the time to speak to the Toronto media, and was a guest on the Leafs Morning Take podcast, explaining his time in the city, but one particular topic came up that fans certainly took umbrage with this season.
Reaves was asked whether or not the lack of fights was due to his disinterest in dropping the mitts, or if he was just a victim of circumstance. Turns out, to Reaves it was the latter:
A lot of it was circumstance. I've gone over this a few times. Early in the season, we played New Jersey. Second game of the year, I got scratched right away.
Then we played Columbus, (Mathieu) Olivier had a broken hand. We played Philly twice; (Nick) Deslauriers was hurt for both. I think I was scratched for one of those games, too. Then we played New Jersey again. I played, McDermott didn't. Then I played, McDermott didn't. McDermott played, I didn't.
There just aren't a lot of heavies out there who are going to fight me, right? So if I'm missing games like that, that's six or seven chances against guys who would've gone. It was just the circumstance I was dealt this year.
Then we played Columbus, (Mathieu) Olivier had a broken hand. We played Philly twice; (Nick) Deslauriers was hurt for both. I think I was scratched for one of those games, too. Then we played New Jersey again. I played, McDermott didn't. Then I played, McDermott didn't. McDermott played, I didn't.
There just aren't a lot of heavies out there who are going to fight me, right? So if I'm missing games like that, that's six or seven chances against guys who would've gone. It was just the circumstance I was dealt this year.
This does echo the fact that Reaves definitely tried to drop the gloves this season, but was ignored by Montreal enforcer Arber Xhekaj so it wasn't for a lack of trying.
Reaves did manage one fight though, against Columbus' Mathieu Olivier; who finally acquiesced to the scrap and Reaves felt revitalized; but it didn't lead to much elsewhere.
Reave-Ho! Toronto casts enforcer out with offseason additions
But regardless of circumstances, the writing was certainly on the wall for him this season. Waived at the deadline in order to make room for some new acquisitions, he ended with the Marlies and was just buried in the depth chart with no chance to climb up.
The new additions made this summer made him even more expendable and bringing in Henry Thrun; a player who can add lots of depth on the blue line with a chance to be a solid third pairing defender; he has much more value than Reaves.
Plus guys like Dakota Joshua and Michael Pezzetta can fill the void the veteran enforcer filled; and add much more in terms of a complete game than being one-dimensional.
The time when teams needed a tough guy on their fourth line to throw fists has long gone by the wayside, and Reaves had no place with the Maple Leafs and their future plans.
So circumstance or not, a lack of fists and anything else meant Toronto had to give the heave-ho to Reavo.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 21 | 1927 ANSWERS Ryan Reaves Reveals the Real Reason He Rarely Dropped the Gloves Last Season Do you think Ryan Reaves wanted to fight more this season? | ||
| Yes | 919 | 47.7 % |
| No | 1008 | 52.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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