It seemed like an innocent-looking play.
On Dec. 14 in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ryan Reaves was moving around the ice when his skate caught a rut and he lost his balance. After colliding with the boards, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward couldn't put any pressure on his leg and had to leave the game.
It turns out his kneecap popped out of place and he wasn't able to pop it back to a point where he'd be able to return to the game.
"I’ve done this about 10 times, It’s a bit of an old injury. It recurs a bunch," he explained.
Reaves returned to practice on Monday for the first time since the initial injury. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that the forward was back on the bike the following day so they knew pretty quickly that the injury wasn't as bad as it originally looked.
In this particular case, Reaves wasn't able to return quicker once his kneecap was popped back into place.
"It’s been anywhere where I’ve come back from the same game to I think the longest I’ve missed is two weeks. This would be the longest of them now," Reaves said.
It's been a turbulent first season for the veteran winger. Signed to a three-year, $4.05 million contract this summer, Reaves started as an everyday player but has also found himself a healthy scratch.
It doesn't sound like Reaves will be returning for the club's next two games and Keefe emphasized building the player back up over the conditioning element of his game.
"I’d say he’s not quite there yet from my perspective. But from a health perspective, he seems to be working his way there," Keefe said of Reaves following practice on Monday.
In 21 games this season, Reaves has one goal and 16 penalty minutes.
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