Rangers deal for Vegas enforcer

When Ryan Reaves was coming up on free agency in June 2018, the Rangers tried to pry him away from Vegas. They tried hard, but they didn’t succeed.

Three years and a new administration later, the Rangers got their man General manager Chris Drury sent a 2022 third-round pick to the desert outpost Thursday in exchange for the enforcer, who will turn 35 in January.

If the message had not been sent clearly enough

by the additions of Barclay Goodrow, Sammy Blais, Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi, it was surely amplified to a max decibel level by this move. The message from the front office on behalf of the Rangers organization is this: Don’t Mess With Us.

Reaves, who has one year to go on his contract, for a $1.75 million cap hit, did his best work in Vegas with incoming Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant behind the Golden Knights’ bench. He can be an intimidating straight-line forechecking force. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound winger posted five points (1-4) in 37 games last season, with 27 PIM while incurring three fighting majors in 9:56 of ice time per game.

For better or worse, he is one of the true surviving NHL enforcers, with 71 fighting majors in 686 career games.

But Reaves is also known for crossing the line and delivering cheap shots against defenseless opponents.