Vet Reaves roles with the punches
Ryan Reaves once said that his younger self wouldn’t have handled his role with the Rangers this past season the way that he did.
Even though it was a variation of the role he’d been in for a good portion of his 12-year NHL career — a grinding fourth-line enforcer who sometimes finds himself on the roster bubble — Reaves acknowledged in April that years ago it would’ve been difficult for him to accept the docked ice time and occasional healthy scratches that became his reality as players returned from injury and the trade-deadline acquisitions came in.
Getting scratched in Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning, Reaves acknowledged, was tough.
But the 35-year-old has matured into an incredibly self-aware and selfless teammate who understands what the Rangers need from him. It’s a good thing, too, especially because his role on the ice could diminish further next season depending on personnel.
“I’m comfortable with my role,” Reaves said during his exit interview with the media after the Rangers were eliminated by the Lightning. “Yeah, it always sucks getting scratched, especially in the playoffs and big games like that. But, you know, I’m honest with myself. I was dog s--t in Game 4. A game where we needed energy, I didn’t bring that. We were slipping. They were gaining a lot of momentum in that series, so the change was coming. I kind of felt it.
“But I’m not going to sit there and pout and not do whatever I can for the guys off the ice. That’s not a time for distraction. I handle it easier now. I think I’m a little more honest with my game and what I do. It’s never easy, but I always say it’s not the guys that scratch me. I can’t bring that into the locker room.”
Reaves recorded 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 69 games during the regular season and played in 18 of the Rangers’ 20 playoff games. After a brief stint on injured reserve with a lowerbody injury that sidelined him for four games and missing three more in California due to COVID-19 protocols, Reaves was a healthy scratch eight times in the second half of the season, including the playoffs.
However, Reaves has seemingly been aware that he could be in that position since the Golden Knights traded him to the Rangers last offseason.
Reaves just wrapped up the final season of the two-year deal ($1.75 million cap hit) he signed with Vegas. Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury subsequently extended Reaves for one more year at the same $1.75 million price tag for the 2022-23 season.
Though it’s an over-35 contract, Reaves can still be bought out because it’s only a one-year deal. If the Rangers were to do so, it would be $583,334 against the cap in each of the next two seasons, according to CapFriendly. The Rangers would save roughly $1.166 million next season, but it would cost them $583,334 in the following one.
It’ll likely come down to how the Rangers view Reaves and his value to the team. To have a $1.75 million contract sitting in the press box for a majority of the season is counterproductive. That $1.166 million could go toward another fourth-liner. Say, Tyler Motte? The pesky winger, who was part of the Rangers’ trade-deadline haul and is approaching unrestricted free agency, gave the team a noticeable boost in forechecking and penalty killing during his 24-game cameo with the club.
Every championship team needs players like Reaves, who made a point to highlight the growth of the Rangers’ young core as a crucial part of the team’s success. He’s carved out a niche for himself that seemingly carries weight with his teammates, many of whom have described just how much taller they skate when Reaves is on the ice.
As the starting lineup hype man and originator of the ‘Shesty release us!’ pregame routine, where Reaves (suited up or not) stands at the locker room doorway and calls for goalie Igor Shesterkin to lead the team out for warm-ups, Reaves has become an integral part of the Rangers’ locker room. Whether he’ll continue in a fourth-line role, serve as the 13th forward or something else is yet to be seen.