Ryan Reaves tangles with PK Subban
(Screenshot/ MSG)

You hate to see a prominent NHL player go down with an injury in the preseason.

New York Rangers power forward Ryan Reaves suffered a leg injury in Wednesday’s exhibition game against the New Jersey Devils. Reaves was helped off the ice and didn’t return to the game.

The collision occurred midway through the first period. Reaves went for the puck along the boards in the offensive zone and got tangled up with Devils’ defenseman PK Subban. Reaves’ left leg got twisted and he fell to the ice in pain.

It appears Subban may have slew footed Reaves, but it’s hard to know if the play was intentional. Subban immediately went to help Reaves after the play. Several Rangers players, including Chris Kreider, took exception to Subban afterwards.

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The New York Rangers released a tweet shortly after the incident stating Reaves wouldn’t return.

Dr. Harjas Grewal, who analyzes NHL injuries, tweeted that he’s worried about a possible ankle sprain or fracture for Reaves. The Rangers visit the Capitals in their season opener on Wednesday, October 13th. It’s likely Reaves won’t be available for the highly-anticipated matchup.

Reaves signed a one-year contract with the Rangers this offseason after spending the past four seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights. In 37 games for Vegas last season, Reaves had one goal and five points while leading the team in hits.

Reaves was part of busy offseason for the Rangers that saw them add several physical forwards to compliment their young superstars. Among the other acquisitions were Sammy Blais and Barclay Goodrow. It’s clear the team wants to get tougher after last year’s “Tom Wilson incident”.

Reaves also made headlines Wednesday after video surfaced on social media of a New York Islanders fan tricking him into taking a photo. The Rangers’ forward was a good sport about it and laughed it off.

Reaves doesn’t have a great reputation among most NHL fanbases, but you hate to see any player go down before even playing a meaningful game. We can only hope this injury isn’t anything long-term.