THE ANGELS. Ryan Reeves is now 35 years old and in his 16th season of professional hockey. So it's had a lot of ups and downs. What is happening now may be the most difficult time for him.
"It's tough," Reeves said Monday before being cut from the Rangers' roster against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. “I think this is the longest scratch of my career. So it's hard. It's hard."
It's especially hard for Reeves to deal with all of this on a long road trip. At the very least, if he stays at home, he will be with his family and their children, Kenen, 6, and Camilla, 3, distracted by the reality that now confronts him; If he doesn't make the Rangers team and everyone else stays healthy, he's probably going to be gone for a long time.
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is a Reeves fan who faced the Vegas Golden Knights when Reeves was having the best years of his career (a record nine in 2018-19 and eight in 2019-20). . But right now, Gallant prefers a lineup that doesn't have one of the best forwards in the NHL.
"I want Revo to be a good player every night and a big part of our group," Gallant said last week before the Rangers left for a four-game trip to Seattle and California. "Right now we've added more speed to our band, and when [Reeves] isn't playing, maybe that's why."
Gallant quickly decided to replace Reeves with Julian Gauthier at right-back, and Tuesday marked the fourth straight game and seventh of the last eight in which locker room favorite Reeves has gone unscathed. at the height
Gallant said he spoke to Reeves about the situation but did not share his words.
Reeves said he didn't know what to expect.
"I don't know exactly what the plan is," he said. "But I think I have to be ready when that happens."
When Gauthier, who began the season with Hartford of the AHL before being called up on October 26 due to an injury to Vitaly Kravtsov, played his 10th game for the Rangers last Thursday in Seattle, it meant the team couldn't send him back. Back to the minors. No championship. Let him go first.
He has scored three goals in 11 games since Tuesday, including a big Saturday in San Jose that helped the Rangers to a stunning 2-1 win over the Sharks.
The Rangers currently have a 23-player cap on their roster, leaving them with just $200,000 of space available in the NHL's $82.5 million salary cap. By narrowing the roster down to 22, they'll free up a bit more ceiling space and have some flexibility if they want to trade and add a player before the March 3 deadline.
But if sending Gaultier back to the minors isn't an option, Reeves or center back Ryan Carpenter will be the most likely players. Reeves is making $1.75 million this season, and had he been kicked out and demoted, the Rangers would have saved $1.125 million [in AHL allocations]. Carpenter earns $750,000, so shipping him will save them less money.
Carpenter is also a center and his 56.3% shooting percentage led the team into Tuesday's game.
There's also the possibility that the Revs could be traded, either to reduce their salary or help offset the salary cap the Rangers may impose.