Leafs Enforcer Ryan Reaves Reveals the Truth Behind Why He Hasn't Yet Fought this Season
Maple Leafs winger Ryan Reaves has yet to drop the gloves in the 2024-25 season, and on Tuesday, the enforcer revealed the reason behind his lack of fights thus far.
It's no secret that fighting in the National Hockey League has been on the decline in recent years.
Gone are the days where every team had at least one true enforcer, and Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves is just one of very few true enforcers remaining in today's game, which could soon land Reaves a demotion and a trip on waivers, or even a potential trade out of Toronto.
For those keeping track, Reaves hasn't been in a single fight so far this season, but according to the veteran winger, it's not for a lack of trying.
Recently, Reaves sat down with Sportsnet to discuss the lack of fisticuffs, and Leafs beat reporter Luke Fox has shared some interesting quotes from Reaves himself on why he hasn't posted any fighting majors this season.
Reaves has been plenty physical when he has been in the lineup this season. He was even suspended for a nasty hit on Edmonton's Darnell Nurse earlier in the year. Still, even with the intensity at an all-time high, he still can't draw a fight.
Recently, Reaves has issued a few challenges -- including one to Philadelphia's Garnet Hathaway, after the Flyers forward injured Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe following their tilt over a week ago. Unfortunately for Reaves, Hathaway was not a willing combatant.
Reaves later revealed the core reason why he hasn't dropped the gloves yet this season. In short, he's not the type of guy to just jump someone and let the fists fly. He revealed during the interview that there simply aren't a lot of players willing to drop the gloves with him anymore -- though he looks forward to a few upcoming matchups where the opposing team does have an enforcer on their roster.
One of those opponents is the Montreal Canadiens and feisty defenseman Arber Xhekaj, with whom Reaves has gone toe-to-toe before.
The hope for Reaves is to get his hands dirty this week, which means there's some must watch hockey coming up for the Maple Leafs over this next stretch of games.
