Rangers’ Ryan Reaves staying patient despite seeing bench more

There was no need for Ryan Reaves to check the lineup card to see if he were dressing for any particular game in the first five-plus months of the season. If No. 75 was healthy, then he was playing on the fourth line. There were also those couple of games when Reaves’ unit was utilized by head coach Gerard Gallant as the third line with a dedicated checking assignment.  

But as the year turned to mid-March, Reaves was designated as a healthy scratch for the first time this season .When the Rangers visited Dallas on March 12, Gallant opted to go with an 11-forward, seven-defense alignment for the second time.

And then, after the Rangers added three forwards and a defenseman to the group just ahead of the March 21 trade deadline, without subtracting a member from the varsity, Reaves has served twice as a healthy scratch, sitting last Friday against the Penguins and Sunday against the Sabres.

Thus, a staple has become a variable on a Rangers active roster that includes five extras per game, a number that will swell to seven once Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney come off injured reserve. Barring future injury, that will mean seven healthy scratches a night, with five of them up front.

Reaves had not only been a staple, he had been acknowledged as a leader who was instrumental in establishing a tone for the season. It can be tricky for a player to maintain his voice while not in the lineup, certainly one with Reaves’ type of big personality. That is one of the challenges No. 75 will face down the stretch and into the playoffs.

“Eight years ago, [it would have been difficult] for me, but not anymore. I’ve been through it throughout my career,” Reaves said before Friday’s Garden confrontation against the Islanders. “When you’re an older guy and you’re not in the lineup you have to make sure you bring the same energy.

“You don’t want to be around the guys and bring any negative energy to the locker room. I’m getting older, and with all the guys we’ve got in here there are probably some games I’m not going to play. Am I happy about it? No, you never want to sit but you can’t be a distraction in the locker room.

“You’ve got to be the same guy,” said the 35-year-old winger. “[If I’m not playing] I still go the rink and release the boys before the game and do my pregame routine with them.”

Reaves scored his third goal of the season Wednesday in Detroit, his first since getting two against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 19. When Gallant is looking for more muscle, Reaves would get the call. When the coach is seeking speed, that’s when Reaves might sit in favor of, say, Jonny Brodzinski. Greg McKegg is a fourth-liner whose spot is in constant jeopardy. Julien Gauthier, who has apparently taken a time machine back to 2020-21, has been a healthy scratch for nine straight.