CHICAGO -- The Penguins acquired Ryan Reaves at least somewhat for intangible reasons, but they're hoping the noted bruiser has a demonstrable impact on how freely their skill players are able to operate in 2017-18.
Of course, that sort of thing is extremely difficult to measure, and probably impossible to attribute to a single player. So, with due respect to Jim Rutherford and Mike Sullivan, both of whom spoke glowingly of their new fourth-line winger Friday night at United Center, let's hone in on what Reaves has provided the Blues during his seven-year NHL career.
First off, if you're looking for positives, Reaves set career highs for goals (seven), points (13) and average ice time (8:53) in 2016-17. The Blues even protected him from the expansion draft, raising eyebrows around a hockey world that considers him primarily a face-puncher.
With a stat sheet like this, that's surely what Reaves looks like:
But is there more than immediately meets the eye? The 30-year-old Reaves told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in March that he had to "adapt" in order to last in an ever-quickening league.
"The one thing we really like about Ryan is he's a safe player," Sullivan said. "He has awareness defensively. He can play in his own end zone."
The biggest potential problem with Reaves, at least as far as the actual hockey goes, will be finding the right combination of linemates, particularly a center who can help bring out the best in him without dragging the Penguins' attack significantly.
"We think there's more to his game," Sullivan said. "If we can put him with the right people, then we think we can help him grow his game as well."
The 6-3, 210-pound Oskar Sundqvist could've brought some of that big-body game, but Carter Rowney (6-2, 200) remains an internal option to mesh with Reaves' straightforward style, even though he probably won't bring a consistent playmaking flair to lift Reaves' offense.
But, really, if Reaves charges up and down the wing, doles out a few hits and minds his own territory, he will fulfill the role the Penguins are imagining for him. The true test will be whether Reaves can maintain the uptempo standard Sullivan has established during his 18 months in charge.
"We think he can fit right in," Sullivan said. "The challenge, obviously, is to play the style the Penguins are trying to play, and do what he does best, which is bring that physical dimension to our team."
Of course, that sort of thing is extremely difficult to measure, and probably impossible to attribute to a single player. So, with due respect to Jim Rutherford and Mike Sullivan, both of whom spoke glowingly of their new fourth-line winger Friday night at United Center, let's hone in on what Reaves has provided the Blues during his seven-year NHL career.
First off, if you're looking for positives, Reaves set career highs for goals (seven), points (13) and average ice time (8:53) in 2016-17. The Blues even protected him from the expansion draft, raising eyebrows around a hockey world that considers him primarily a face-puncher.
With a stat sheet like this, that's surely what Reaves looks like:
But is there more than immediately meets the eye? The 30-year-old Reaves told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in March that he had to "adapt" in order to last in an ever-quickening league.
"I can’t be that guy that I was when I came into the league," Reaves said, "wanting to go out and fight everybody and building energy. I’ve got to be able to play, I’ve got to be able to help the team defensively, offensively, any way I can.”
To Reaves' point, he did reduce his number of fights last season, brawling six times in 80 regular-season games, or once every 13 games. Compare that to his previous six seasons, during which he averaged one fight every seven games.
Sullivan alluded to Reaves' evolving approach when asked about the protection element Rutherford sought to add.
"Obviously, Ryan is a guy that, when he's in the lineup, people take notice," Sullivan said. "He adds that element to our team. But he's a good player. He can really skate. He can get in on the forecheck. I think he's a sound two-way player, who can get up and down the ice. We're thrilled to have him."
The Penguins can personally vouch for Reaves' surprising quickness at 225 pounds. Justin Schultz can testify vividly, if he cares to remember this scene from late January at PPG Paints Arena:
Don't plan on seeing too many breakaways from Reaves next season, but the Penguins don't see his mobility -- or at least his velocity -- as a weakness.
"I think he's a good skater," Sullivan said. "He can get there. He's a good forechecker. He's obviously got great size. He protects the puck extremely well."
But while Reaves had a nice offensive year for a guy who played less than 10 minutes per night, we should note his goals and assists are almost identical to what he put up in 2014-15, the only other time he played 80 games or more.
And, even on a Blues team that ranked 25th in the NHL in shot attempts created at even-strength, Reaves nearly pulled up the rear in comparison to his teammates. When he was on the ice last season, St. Louis averaged about eight fewer shot attempts per 60 minutes, the fourth-worst relative mark on the team.
That was actually an improvement over 2015-16, when Reaves ranked last on the Blues in shot creation, almost 14 shots worse than the team average per 60 minutes. Still, don't look for Reaves to push the puck forward when he's on the ice, as this comparison chart from Own the Puck shows:
On this chart, Reaves (left) is compared to the average fourth-line winger (right), with five attributes rated on a 0-10 scale. Focus on the last two bars in each chart, SHOTGEN (shot generation) and SHOTSUP (shot suppression).
As discussed, Reaves is about as poor as it gets when it comes to tilting the ice, but the blue bar indicates he was better than average at limiting opponents' offense in 2016-17. That's a big improvement over the previous season, when Reaves was the third-worst regular on the Blues in preventing even-strength shots.
Good for him. If a skater isn't going to provide much at the offensive end, he'd better be reliable in his own zone. St. Louis coach Mike Yeo seemed to reward Reaves for his improved systematic aptitude, boosting his average ice time to over 11 minutes during the final month of the regular season.
"The one thing we really like about Ryan is he's a safe player," Sullivan said. "He has awareness defensively. He can play in his own end zone."
The biggest potential problem with Reaves, at least as far as the actual hockey goes, will be finding the right combination of linemates, particularly a center who can help bring out the best in him without dragging the Penguins' attack significantly.
"We think there's more to his game," Sullivan said. "If we can put him with the right people, then we think we can help him grow his game as well."
The 6-3, 210-pound Oskar Sundqvist could've brought some of that big-body game, but Carter Rowney (6-2, 200) remains an internal option to mesh with Reaves' straightforward style, even though he probably won't bring a consistent playmaking flair to lift Reaves' offense.
But, really, if Reaves charges up and down the wing, doles out a few hits and minds his own territory, he will fulfill the role the Penguins are imagining for him. The true test will be whether Reaves can maintain the uptempo standard Sullivan has established during his 18 months in charge.
"We think he can fit right in," Sullivan said. "The challenge, obviously, is to play the style the Penguins are trying to play, and do what he does best, which is bring that physical dimension to our team."
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