End of an era? Leafs' tough guy Reaves hits ice today sporting a visor

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves carried a unique distinction that was only held by a few players in the NHL, but a recent injury might change that status.

Reaves is one of the few players left in the NHL without a visor, but that might be coming to an end based on how he stepped onto the ice on Friday.

Sportsnet’s Jesse Fuchs offered up a pic of Reaves sporting a new look at today’s practice, wearing a visor affixed to his helmet after being poked in the eye in a fight earlier in the week by Philadelphia’s Nicholas Deslauriers.

Ryan Reaves sporting a visor for practice. pic.twitter.com/0w1uBC4rmn

— Jesse Fuchs (@jesse_fuchs) March 22, 2024

Today, there are just four players left in the league outside of Reaves who are still going visorless: Erik Gudbranson, Cal Clutterbuck, Ryan O’Reilly, and Matt Martin, the latter two of whom have both had their own stints with the Leafs in past seasons.

The NHL made visors mandatory in 2013-14 for players with less than 25 games experience. The rule change effectively was put in place nearly a decade ago but offered the opportunity of “grandfathering” players like Reaves with the option to still leave their face uncovered.

After the eye-poke, Reaves missed the Leafs’ most recent contest, a 7-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

Interestingly, one of the most violent plays in recent memory against the Leafs happened on Wednesday, when Washington forward Tom Wilson struck Toronto’s Noah Gregor with a vicious high stick. The NHL Department of Player Safety offered Wilson an in-person hearing for the incident, with news of a possible suspension likely to drop in the next few days.

In 39 games with the Leafs this season, Reaves has scored three goals while picking up one assist.

After the back-to-back in Philadelphia and Washington, the Leafs have been enjoying a two-day break without games. They return to action Saturday in Toronto, where they host the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid, with puck drop set for 7 pm ET at Scotiabank Arena on Hockey Night in Canada.

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