Dec 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Ryan Reaves (75) warms up before playing the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Ryan Reaves returned to the American Hockey League for the first time in over a decade on Wednesday, making his Toronto Marlies debut in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Utica Comets. However, it wasn’t his first AHL appearance since the 2010-11 season that drew attention.
A longtime enforcer and veteran of 1,025 combined NHL regular-season and playoff games, Reaves had been one of the last remaining players in the NHL to go without a visor before his demotion from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the AHL, visors are mandatory, and league rules state they must cover a player’s face. Yet, Reaves appeared to strategically find his way around the rule by flipping his visor up, leaving his face fully exposed – not being penalized. Photos from the game show Reaves playing with the visor tilted far out of his line of sight.
In the game, the 38-year-old forward was placed on the left wing of the Marlies’ second line, playing alongside Jacob Quillan and Alex Nylander, while being held off the scoresheet.
His return to the AHL came after the Leafs placed him on waivers just before the NHL trade deadline to create cap space. He cleared waivers on March 7 and was assigned to the Marlies, where he has been practicing with the team since March 25. The move allowed the Leafs to make deadline acquisitions, including Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo.
Reaves had just two assists in 35 games for Toronto this season, falling out of the lineup in the second half of the year. He is currently in the second year of a three-year contract worth $1.35 million per season.
The Leafs have $195,332 in available cap space at the moment. However, he could return to the NHL once the playoffs begin, and the salary cap is no longer a factor. Other players like Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpaa are also candidates planning to re-enter lineup conversations for the postseason.
For now, Reaves can bring a certain element of veteran leadership to the Marlies, who are looking to make a postseason run of their own in the AHL for the Calder Cup. The team currently holds a 33-22-4-6 record, ranking third in the North Division.
