The New York Rangers have been red-hot to start out the 2023-24 season and have been the dominant team many fans expected them to be. The team has been without their star defenseman Adam Fox and even had to spend a few games without their star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, but this team continues to dominate every step of the way. One player they decided to move on from last season was forward Ryan Reaves who was a fan favorite, but simply fell out of favor with the Rangers and requested a trade which he eventually got, to the Minnesota Wild.
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Reaves eventually opted to leave the Wild and join the Toronto Maple Leafs on a three-year contract giving them some physicality they have been lacking for a few seasons, and the Maple Leafs were finally being praised as potential Stanley Cup contenders having solved one of their biggest issues surrounding them. While Reaves’ start hasn’t been great with the Maple Leafs, he still provides a lot to any team he’s with.
Some fans were worried the Rangers would lack physicality and wouldn’t be as tough of a team to play against with no Reaves and no real “grinder” type of player, but they haven’t had any issues yet. While nobody is a designated fighter or designated tough guy, everyone has taken a step up with their physicality, and the team continues to be tough to play against, even without arguably the toughest player in the NHL.
Reaves & Rangers Fallout
Reaves was traded to the Wild last season following a game where he was a healthy scratch, followed by a trade request after he seemingly disagreed with the team’s decision to sit him, and it became a struggle for him to crack the lineup on a nightly basis. Reaves was never an offensive producer, but he scored five goals and added eight assists for 13 points through 81 games with the Rangers over two seasons before he was dealt, as well as 55 penalty minutes.
When Reaves joined the Wild, he was expected to be a part of the Wild’s playoff run and help them by providing veteran depth in their bottom six, but the Wild were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and Reaves didn’t register a single point through six games. During the regular season with the Wild, Reaves scored five goals and added ten assists for 15 points through 61 games and finished the season with that stat line after not producing a point with the Rangers prior to the move.
This season with the Maple Leafs, Reaves has one goal through 15 games and has added 14 penalty minutes as well. Throughout his 14-year NHL career, he has scored 60 goals and added 70 assists for 130 points through 843 games which comes out to a 0.15 points-per-game average.
The Rangers aren’t missing Reaves at all. While it would be nice to have a guy that could come in and out of the lineup and fight to set the tone and send a message to their opponents on a nightly basis, this current Rangers roster is so dangerous that they don’t need a player like that, and they continue to prove that every game.
The Rangers have begun to rely on their offensive output and strong defensive game mixed with stellar goaltending to win games this season. Their elite scoring has been a big part of their red-hot start, while they have been gifted with a bounce-back season from veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick. They are already set with Shesterkin and Adam Fox being two of the most valuable players in the NHL, but even with both of them having battled injuries this season, they’ve continued their dominance.
It’s clear this new Rangers team doesn’t need physicality when they can rely on everything else. If their elite scoring, defensive play, and goaltending can continue, they will quickly become Stanley Cup favorites. They are deeper than ever and every team should be worried when they have to play against them.
What’s Next For The Rangers?
The Rangers are back in action on Wednesday (Nov. 29) in a battle against the Detroit Red Wings and will look to keep their hot start going, but will need to bounce back from a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. They currently sit first in the Metropolitan Division while the Red Wings sit third in the Atlantic Division. This Rangers team is truly a Stanley Cup contender if they can keep up this pace all season, and they’ll quickly become favorites if they keep up their strong play.