Suspended: Ryan Reaves' Fate Confirmed After Illegal Headshot on Darnell Nurse
Ryan Reaves has learned that you can't go around laying dirty hits, as the NHL has punished the enforcer for his illegal hit on Edmonton's Darnell Nurse.
During the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers game on Saturday night, a very scary scene unfolded when Toronto's Ryan Reaves charged at and laid an illegal hit to the head on Edmonton's Darnell Nurse.
It was a brutal display of violence that led to Reaves getting a five-minute major and a game misconduct. It was revealed that Nurse was not going to be making it back in the game after the hit, and it's unknown currently what his status is.
In a display of sportsmanship, Reaves sought out Nurse afterward to apologize for the hit, and it's a huge relief to all hockey fans that Nurse was responsive and joking around with the training staff.
To have Nurse, a towering defender crumple so quickly it must have really rocked him, and while the apology is a great sentiment, the hit was still made.
Reaves now has to answer to the NHL Player Safety Department due to the nature of his actions.
Well the fate of Reaves has been revealed, as the NHL has decided to suspend Reaves for five games for his illegal hit to the head of Darnell Nurse.
This isn't the first time that Reaves has been suspended either, having three throughout his NHL career with the most recent being in 2021 when he viciously attacked Colorado's Ryan Graves.
He was also suspended for this hit to the head of Vancouver's Tyler Motte, showing that Reaves not only has a history with these types of incidents, he seems to bizarrely relish in these chances.
With Reaves missing time, Toronto will call upon Alex Steeves or Connor Dewar to replace him, but that isn't a bad thing. The Maple Leafs are starved for offense and removing Reaves to add some more scoring potential is huge. Having only one point this season with 23 PIM, yet no fights; Reaves' absence is a blessing in disguise.
All we can hope for is that Darnell Nurse is going to be okay and there is no long-term consequences for Reaves' hit. The recklessness of Toronto's enforcer should not be overlooked and puts a black mark on the prestige and honor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
