Leafs forward leaves game after awkward collision

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves had been playing his best hockey as a Leaf since being a healthy scratch in the middle of November. It looked like he and head coach Sheldon Keefe had found the right balance of shifts during games depending on the situation.

Unfortunately for Reaves, during a shift midway through the first against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Reaves lost an edge and went into the boards awkwardly. He initially tried to skate off under his own power, but eventually had to be helped off by Conor Timmins and Simon Benoit.


As you can see, it looks like Reaves caught a rut in the ice as he was turning towards the boards which caused him to lose his balance. He collided with the boards very awkwardly and appeared to twist his left skate and knee. After getting to the bench, Reaves looked to had fallen while walking down the tunnel as well.


Being the or one of the toughest guys in the league, for Reaves to not be able to skate off the ice or walk down the tunnel under his own power means that he is hurt pretty bad. It would be surprising if he returns, but for now the Leafs will be playing the rest of the game with 11 forwards.