Ryan Reaves career in New York appears to be coming to an end
Ryan Reaves was once considered a pivotal part of the New York Rangers lineup. Reaves physically imposing style fit perfectly with the style Head Coach Gerard Gallant wanted to play. But over the summer something in New York changed.
The Rangers have gone away from their crash and bang 4th line and have looked to implement more of a speed based style. A strange decision considering their style of play last season carried them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
To start this season Reaves has struggled, but many expected him to eventually get back to the style of play he's known best for. Unfortunately for Reaves he's only found himself in the lineup once in the last 2 weeks. Being healthy scratched 4 of the last 5 games wondering what the future might hold for Reaves.
Now Gallant has confirmed the reasoning behind Reaves being a healthy scratch:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClCM8YGOJ5J/?igshid=YzFkMDk4Zjk=
Reaves, 35, is in the final year of his contract and has a cap hit of $1,700,000 per season. With the Rangers tight against the salary cap and expected to make major moves at the Trade Deadline, it wouldn't be shocking to see the team look to either trade or waive Reaves to take advantage of some cap savings.
So whether Reaves departs during the season or not is still to be seen, but it's hard to believe that the veteran is back in New York next year.
| POLL | ||
Are the Rangers better or worse with Ryan Reaves in the lineup? | ||
| Better | 89 | 39.6 % |
| Worse | 101 | 44.9 % |
| The same | 35 | 15.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
