Reaves deal proves Tom Wilson is living 'rent-free' in Rangers' heads
In a world where the NHL actually cares about the safety of its players, teams wouldn't constantly be chasing guys like Ryan Reaves. But in this NHL, Reaves carries an enormous amount of currency
It’s pretty clear at this point that the intern – it had to be an intern, right? – from the Washington Capitals’ social media team could not have been more spot on when he or she tweeted almost three months ago that Tom Wilson is living “rent-free” inside the heads of the rest of the NHL. We know for sure that he’s doing just that to the New York Rangers. And he’s taking their lunch money, too.
Eight days ago, the Rangers overpaid, both in money and term to the tune of $21.85 million over six years, to get Barclay Goodrow, a player who scores roughly one goal every 10 games. And last night, the Rangers announced they had traded a third-round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights to get Ryan Reaves, who somehow manages to score even less frequently, but is very good at punching people in the face, pulling opponents’ hair, running their faces into the glass and making contact with their heads.
When Wilson attacked former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich and current Rangers star Artemi Panarin within seconds of each other in May, and was hit with 14 penalty minutes and a $5,000 fine, it was clear the NHL had no intention of protecting their players from a guy who has become a menace to the rest of the league. The league did nothing to penalize Wilson for his actions, or for his embarrassing WWE flexing in the penalty box afterward. The Rangers tried to embarrass the NHL into firing George ‘The Violent Gentleman’ Parros, the league’s director of player safety, by publicly saying his decision only to fine Wilson was, in their estimation, “a dereliction of duty…and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.” All it got them was a $250,000 fine.
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So, instead of trying to change a system and a culture of violence that refuses to do so, the Rangers are more than happy to jump into the fray with both feet. Teams really are rather naïve, aren’t they, you know, all expecting the league to call the rulebook? They obviously figure that having the likes of Reaves and Goodrow around will at least deter Wilson and his ilk from trying to injure their players in the future. And if he does, well, an eye-for-an-eye works a lot better than getting poked in the eye.
In an NHL that actually cared about the safety of its players, there would be no need for teams to go out and get Reaves. But he remains a valuable commodity because he provides his teams with something the NHL refuses to give them: protection and comfort to play the game without fear. But that’s not the case. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins. The day before the Stanley Cup final in 2017, I asked GM Jim Rutherford about all the abuse Sidney Crosby had endured through the playoffs to that point. And here’s what he told me: “I hear year after year how the league and everyone loves how the Penguins play. Well, it’s going to have to change and I feel bad about it, but it’s the only way we can do it. We’re going to have to get one or two guys…and some of those games that should be good hockey games will turn into a shit show. We’ll go right back to where we were in the ’70s and it’s really a shame.”
Twelve days after the Penguins won their second straight Stanley Cup, Rutherford dealt Oskar Sundqvist and a first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for a second-rounder and…you guessed it, Ryan Reaves.
Imagine being Tom Wilson and knowing you have that kind of effect on a franchise. It’s almost as though the Rangers have forgotten they play 30 other teams a total of 79 times next season. But the reality is they didn’t make this move just because of Wilson. If he’s having his way with them, you can bet there are a host of other teams doing the same thing, perhaps not to the same degree, but with similar results. Like the Penguins, who have long lobbied the league to crack down on gratuitous violence, the Rangers have thrown up their hands. Do you think the fact that the Penguins went out and hired Brian Burke as president of hockey operations was a coincidence? It’s not. They did it because they’re tired of being pushed around and of their concerns falling on deaf ears.
So when the Rangers and Capitals meet in Washington for their first game of the season Oct. 13, expect fireworks. Those who think this is all great, the league office included, will quietly and gleefully watch as the “shit show” Rutherford described unfolds, probably off the opening faceoff. Those who hold the real levers of power in the league love this stuff. When something goes sideways, as they always ultimately do, and one of these guys does something so egregious that it even offends them, they’ll be the first to cluck their tongues and tell everyone there is no place for that stuff in the game of hockey. And guys like Ryan Reaves will continue to have currency and the game will continue to go in circles instead of moving forward.
Carry on, then…