Reaves eyes rematch with Xhekaj: 'I'm always around'
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves wouldn't mind another shot a fellow tough guy Arber Xhekaj.
The veteran enforcer got into his first fight as a member of the Maple Leafs during their season opening win against the Habs on Wednesday.
Halfway through the opening period, Reaves checked Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle hard into the boards on the forecheck before Xhekaj took exception and instigated a fight with Reaves.
The pair traded a few shots before Xhekaj appeared to push Reaves into the net, ending the fight.
"I don’t like getting jumped. I don’t know if I’ve really jumped anybody. If you want to fight just ask me. I’m always around. You know where to find me," Reaves told the media on Friday.
The 36-year-old Reaves, who has amassed 1,028 penalty minutes over 829 career games with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Leafs, hinted at a rematch down the road with the 22-year-old Xhekaj and indicated he wasn't a fan of the push into the net.
"Once I stood up and he ended up grabbing me, he just tried pushing me for the rest of it," Reaves added. "It felt like it was on purpose. We got them two more times, I’m sure something might happen. Don’t want to go out like that."
The winger signed a three-year, $4.05 million contract with Leafs this summer.
Toronto and Montreal only have two more games left against each during the 2023-24 regular season, as they will clash on March 9 and April 6, both in Montreal.