The NHL's Treatment of Ryan Reaves Versus Their Treatment of Zach Whitecloud Causing Unrest in Toronto
Leafs Nation is frustrated over the lack of consistency from the NHL following the Ryan Reaves incident and Zach Whitecloud's head shot on Matthew Knies.
Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Ryan Reaves was suspended for five games following a high hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. While many felt the punishment was excessive, I think that everyone understood that Reaves had crossed a line.
Unfortunately, the double standard from the NHL was on full display on Wednesday by the way the referees and the war room handled the Zach Whitecloud situation in last night's game between the Leafs and the Golden Knights.
Whitecloud delivered a high hit on sophomore star Matthew Knies, which targeted the head, similar to Reaves' hit on the aforementioned Nurse. However, unlike Reaves, Whitecloud's hit did not result in a five-minute major penalty, even though that was the call on the ice at the time. After some deliberation, Whitecloud's major penalty was actually rescinded and he did not receive a penalty for the hit on Knies at all, but rather for engaging with Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit afterward.
You can see the hit below. Judge for yourself.
@BlueBuds34 on X raised an interesting point, comparing the two hits from Reaves and Whitecloud. The two hits show a lot of head contact.
While Reaves' hit was questionable and could be seen as predatory, Whitecloud's hit should have received similar treatment from the league. The head contact was clear and deliberate.
One thing is clear; Knies' injury is a problematic one for the Leafs, who are already dealing with a bevy of injuries to key players up and down the lineup.
Knies was placed in concussion protocol during the game and did not return, for obvious reasons. Given his previous concussion issues, there's obviously a lot of concern for his health right now and rightfully so.
We have yet to hear from the league about any potential supplemental discipline for Whitecloud, but if he is not suspended for this blatant head shot, the league really needs to re-evaluate the personnel in the Department of Player Safety, because hits to the head, such as Whitecloud's, have no place in the game -- and you can't punish Reaves to the fullest extent without also dealing with Whitecloud for a similar hit. There's just no consistency.
