Toronto Maple Leafs wanted more physical presence in their squad, so this summer, they made some big signings in the form of enforcer Ryan Reaves and Max Domi.
Reaves has earned a reputation for being one of the toughest guys in the NHL, known for laying big hits and fighting whoever’s up for it.
Toronto has often been criticized for not having guys who stand up to other teams’ tough guys when needed. That’s exactly what Ryan Reaves has brought to his teams during previous years in the NHL.
But Reaves’s start to his Toronto career hasn’t been what anyone hoped for. Reaves started the season slowly, and he was absolutely slammed when he didn’t stand up to Brad Marchand after the Bruins captain injured a Toronto player during a game.
Reaves said that he and Marchand weren’t on the ice at the same time for the rest of the games, but as it turned out, they had two shifts, where Reaves did nothing.
Reaves has even been a healthy scratch in some games this campaign, and on Thursday, it got even worse for Reavo.
Reaves was retrieving a puck when it appeared that his skate caught a rut. Reaves lost the balance and awkwardly slammed right into the boards.
His left leg appeared to take the hit when he was sent into the boards, and he was slow to get up. Reaves was helped off the ice without being able to put any weight on his left leg.
According to some reports on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Reaves fell down the stairs when heading back to the locker room.
Postgame, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Reaves, and it didn’t sound all that positive, with him saying Reaves will be “out for a while.”
The Maple Leafs were down 5-0 after the second period against Columbus on Thursday night, with the crowd booing their team off the ice.
The Maple Leafs staged a remarkable comeback, scoring five unanswered goals in the last 20 of regulation, tying the game at 5-5 with 45 seconds left. However, Columbus managed to score with 3:26 on the clock, and Toronto moved to a 15-6-6 record.
