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Ryan Reaves creatively bends AHL rules after Toronto Maple Leafs sent him down

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Apr 2 2025, 8:12 pm
Ryan Reaves creatively bends AHL rules after Toronto Maple Leafs sent him down
Christian Bonin/TSGphoto.com via Toronto Marlies

One of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most notorious players seems to be doing a bit of a silent protest against his demotion to the AHL.

Or, at the very least, 38-year-old enforcer Ryan Reaves appears to be playing by his own rules while down with the Toronto Marlies.

Reaves went unclaimed on waivers when the Leafs placed him there on March 6, and he hadn’t played a game until he suited up as part of the Marlies’ school day game today against the Utica Comets.

As flagged by Tony Androckitis, Reaves had a, well, loose interpretation of the AHL’s visor policy when skating in his first game with the team today.

Reaves had spent 912 NHL games largely without any face protection and didn’t want to have anything in front of his eyes today.

In multiple pictures from the game, Reaves can be seen with his visor flipped onto the top of his helmet.

Though the AHL rulebook clearly states that visors must cover the face and not be flipped up, Reaves appeared to get away from the contest without being told otherwise or picking up an illegal equipment penalty.

It was Reaves’ first AHL game since 2010-11, when he played 50 games with the Peoria Rivermen. The Marlies fell 2-1 on the day, with Reaves being held off the scoresheet.

Reaves had no goals and two assists in 35 games for the Leafs this year, falling out of favour with his old coach in former St. Louis Blues bench boss Craig Berube, as he’s played just three times in the NHL since the start of February. He is in the second year of a three-year deal worth US$1.35 million per season.

While we don’t know exactly what the future holds for Reaves and his hockey career, don’t expect him to be willingly wearing a visor the right way anytime soon.

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