It’s fair to say that veteran forward Ryan Reaves felt a little bit blindsided, and maybe even a tad humiliated, after being sent to the AHL Marlies to finish out the regular season.
After all, the 37-year-old Maple Leafs tough guy last saw the minors in 2012-13, to stay active during a lockout. But he handled the assignment with grace.
“It was (pause) ... well, I got to play, which is what I really wanted to do,” Reaves said recently. “A great group of guys down there. They welcomed me and I had fun practising with them. Went down there and played more than I usually do.
“It was an experience, for sure.”
He got to know Marlies forward Kyle Clifford, whom he’d battled as an opponent over the years in the NHL. He hung out with goalie Matt Murray, who was once a teammate with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He taught some of the younger players the finer points about fighting.
“One guy told me he felt old on the team and he was 27,” said Reaves. “I’m like: You don’t know anything about being old. Yeah, it was definitely a different experience. But it was fun.”
Reaves scored in the first of his three games and the Marlies secured a spot in the Calder Cup post-season.
With no salary-cap limitations on NHL rosters in the playoffs, Reaves is back with the Leafs. He’ll likely spend most of the time as a healthy scratch, but will be available with no strings attached if the situation calls for it.
Coach Craig Berube appreciated what Reaves did after the demotion.
“I thought he did a great job,” Berube said. “He understood the situation, worked extremely hard, went down, played some games. That’s not easy to do, a guy that’s been around the NHL for a long time. But you know, he’s handled it extremely well and he’s back and ready to go.”
Leafs general manager Brad Treliving had a conversation with Reaves near the March 7 trade deadline to lay out the plan. The Leafs needed his roster spot with trades for centre Scott Laughton and defenceman Brandon Carlo on the horizon.
“It was either go down there or see if another team wanted to pick me up, and I might get an opportunity to go play somewhere else,” said Reaves. “The goal is winning a Stanley Cup. The teams that were calling weren’t in that position.”
The veteran got his wish to stay in the Leafs organization when he cleared waivers. Perhaps out of respect, they never took the nameplate down from his locker.
“It feels good to be back,” said Reaves. “A little weird, but it’s good to be back with the guys and I’m excited for see what they do on ice. Playoffs are always a fun time of year.”
Reaves has one year left on his contract at a cap hit of $1.35 million (U.S.). He didn’t get a lot of action this season: just one fight and two assists in 35 games. He’s played 912 NHL games with 63 goals, 74 assists and an astounding (for this era, anyway) 1,100 penalty minutes. That’s 325th on the all-time list, but seventh among active players.
Among those who played this season, Tom Wilson is the leader with 1,532 penalty minutes, followed by Corey Perry (1,487), Evgeni Malkin (1,202), Evander Kane (1,186), Matt Martin (1,168) and Brad Marchand (1,115).
But Reaves left his mark in other ways.
He helped Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann learn what it’s like to drop the gloves. This season, 13 Leafs earned fighting majors and the team did a better job of sticking up for itself. Much of that can be attributed to Reaves’ influence over the past two seasons.
“Everybody who’s dropped the gloves this year has held their own and done really well,” said Reaves. “Confidence in fighting comes with practice — and eating a couple, for sure. You want to learn quickly before you eat too many. But I thought guys did really well.
“If they want to pick my brains, I could help them.”
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