Toronto Maple Leafs' winger Ryan Reaves hasn't played since December 14th due to a knee injury. And now the 37-year-old made a comment that could have huge implications on his future with the club going forward.
Reaves Says He's Been Ready to Come Back For Weeks
Speaking to Sportsnet reporter Luke Fox, Reaves said he has been ready to come back to play for a few weeks now. Still, the Leafs have continued to list him as injured which raises questions concerning conformance with NHL rules surrounding team rosters and salary caps.
"Yeah, I've been ready for a couple weeks now,» Reaves said. That's a question for them. I am not in those rooms, in those conversations. I'm not going to speculate anything. Just stay ready. And if I get called upon, I do. If I don't, I get my work in."
When asked to comment on the status of Reaves, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe delivered vague answers like saying Reaves may be not ready to re-join the team, among others.
Interestingly, even after Reaves has been not playing for over a month now, the Leafs have not signed him off to Long-Term Injured Reserve. That is important because the moving of a player to LTIR will trigger a filing of detailed paperwork with the NHL.
The NHL policy for players to be on regular IR differs from the process of placing them on LTIR. Regular IR comes down to a decision from just the individual club's medical staff per their medical standards. LTIR requires a form submitted to the league that is signed by the player and the team doctor. It's more closely policed due to salary cap ramifications.
Reaves Exposes the Leafs: Could it be Over for Him in Toronto?
That leaves the Leafs potentially keeping Reaves out of the lineup based on their own timeline, realizing he is ready to return. Such a model is quite clearly not sustainable at any level, especially since Reaves signed a three-year contract with Toronto in the offseason.
Reaves wasn't able to make much of an impression in his limited showings for the Leafs. He only had one goal and produced a -11 rating in 21 appearances while averaging just 7:20 of ice time per night. This raises speculation about team intentions of keeping him off the active roster with potential waivers looming in his future.
