While his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates regularly try to get back to winning ways, the resilient Ryan Reaves broods in the press box night after night.
The 37-year-old veteran suffered a knee injury on December 14 and was temporarily among the injured. However, he is in good enough shape to play games, but his head coach Sheldon Keefe did not see fit to use him despite the ups and downs of his club, which just completed a four-game trip with a .500 record. Signing a three-year contract last summer, he is far from happy with the situation, having scored one goal in 21 games this season.
“It's not funny. Nobody likes watching hockey when the team shows up to fight. I really hate it, but there's nothing I can do anymore. I don't know the overall context and I don't know what's going to happen. I think we'll have to wait and see see,” he commented to the Sportsnet network.
“I am not in these offices and am not participating in these discussions. I won't speculate. I just have to be ready and when I'm called, I'll be there. If they don’t force me to play, I’ll keep working.”
Still in the planning stage
Some might point to Reaves' -11 differential to explain his absence. Still, Keefe assures that he continues to have faith in a man who has accumulated more than 1,000 total penalty minutes in his National Hockey League career. If opponents who rely on physical play appear on the way to the Leafs, the winger may be able to perform proudly.
“He has to continue the work and prepare. It's the most important thing. He had to recover from an injury to get back to a sufficient level […] and it's difficult to determine the right time to test everything in a game, the pilot said. Reavo, we know quite a bit what he can offer the team. [À l’opposé]We have some questions about our young players.
Could Reaves now ask his representatives to facilitate a trade? He experienced similar circumstances with the New York Rangers, who transferred him to the Minnesota Wild in November 2022.
“I spoke to my agents. I've seen this before. During my career I have had good and not so good moments: this is probably one of the most difficult, he admitted. This is like. You only control what you can. I’m not in training and I can’t change that myself.”
The Queen City team will play its next two games against the Winnipeg Jets, on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena and Saturday in Manitoba.