Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves has officially been suspended for his hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.

The hit came late in the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers.

Nurse was caught with his head down and Reaves took advantage. Nurse was left bloody from the huge hit and it was pretty devastating to watch.

Following the play, Reaves was kicked out of the game while Nurse had to get some help from the medical staff. He eventually left the game and never came back.

Overall, it was a pretty brutal hit and fans were convinced that Reaves would be getting suspended. In fact, it was revealed that he would have to have a meeting with the Department of Player Safety.

Just now, the league announced that Reaves has been suspended for five games.

Ryan Reaves dinged with huge suspension

 

“Toronto’s Ryan Reaves has been suspended for five games for an illegal check to the head against Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse.”

This is a pretty bad suspension for Reaves and it feels pretty harsh all things considered. Sure, it was a bad hit, but five games is a lot.

As of late, Leafs players have been getting hit with some bad suspensions and the fans are definitely upset with this kind of treatment. However, there is no telling what the league is thinking internally.

Whatever the case may be, the Leafs must now go five games without their enforcer, who has proven to be one of the most physical guys on the team.

At this stage, the Leafs are going to have to continue calling guys up. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for Alex Steeves, who has been asking for playing time.

This decision comes after a 4-3 overtime win for the Maple Leafs, who now boast a record of 11-6-2.