“Bitter” Ryan Reaves has brutal message for Rangers

It wasn't long after the absolute circus on the ice at Madison Square Garden in March of 2021 that saw controversial Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson essentially assault Rangers star Artemi Panarin; the latter wasn't suspended and assessed a mere $5K fine. 

Of course, we all remember what happened afterward. The Rangers issued a scathing statement accusing NHLPA head George Parros of dereliction of duty; they would subsequently be fined a quarter million dollars by the NHL, and soon afterward, team president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton were both fired. 

The Rangers knew they needed to beef up in terms of toughness, and decided to bring aboard bruising forward Ryan Reaves from the Vegas Golden Knights. But now, Reaves is a member of the Minnesota Wild, having been dealt earlier this season from the Rangers to the State of Hockey. And ahead of his first game against his ex-teammates tonight, he's pushing back on the rumor that he requested a trade out of New York. 

“That’s a half truth and a half lie,” Reaves said of the trade request. “I had been scratched a little bit and I asked what was going on. They said, ‘You’re not going to be playing every game.’ Then I talked to my agent and he found out that there was a trade that was being worked on for a while already with Minnesota. Once I heard that, well, if you’re trying to trade me, I’m not going to stick around just to wait and linger and wait for something else to happen."

“If you’re trying to trade me, you don’t want me, so then I’m going to push it forward and ask for a trade. But I’m not the one who put it in motion, we’ll put it that way," he continued. "I think I’ve always been honest with my game and with myself to management and coaches. For something like that to be going on and not communicated to me, it was a little frustrating. Left a little bitter taste in my mouth, for sure. It’s a business, it is what it is. I ended up somewhere where I’m wanted and I’m happy.”

And it sounds as though he'd be willing to take on not only one former teammate, but two at the same time. 

“I’d be happy to go 2 on 1, to be honest,” Reaves said. “That’s what it’s gonna take.”