Leafs tough guy Reaves didn't like getting 'jumped' by Xhekaj: 'If you want to fight just ask'

The role of the enforcer might be battling extinction, but Ryan Reaves is doing his part to keep fights and beefs alive in the NHL. In his first game as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, Reaves got into a brief fight with Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens.

Considering how things went, it’s not shocking that Reaves is already thinking about a rematch.

"I don’t like getting jumped,” Reaves said, via TSN’s Mark Masters. “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 also believes Xhekaj's move of pushing him over the net was intentional.

"Once I stood up and he ended up grabbing me, he just tried pushing me for the rest of it," Reaves said. "It felt like it was on purpose.

"We [play] them two more times, I’m sure something might happen. Don’t want to go out like that."

If you’re inclined, you can definitely pick apart Reaves’ complaints about Xhekaj. Did Xehkaj really “jump” him? That’s iffy.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like a fairly standard situation where a player is running around landing big hits, prompting an opponent to stick up for one of their teammates. Maybe Reaves wasn’t 100% ready for Xhekaj, but we’ve seen this situation play out countless times.

Secondly, it’s difficult to believe Reaves hasn’t “jumped anybody” on the ice. This is a player with a substantial history of suspensions and fines. As one of the league’s most formidable fighters, it’s also hard to believe his opponent was totally ready and on board with every fight in the 36-year-old’s career.

Reaves would probably be better off just saying “I’m mad about it and want a rematch.”

Reaves-Xhekaj rematch will need to wait a while

While Reaves mentioned that the Maple Leafs and Canadiens meet two more times, he’ll have to carry that grudge for quite some time. Assuming Reaves and Xhekaj are both healthy and in the lineup, they’d need to wait until March 9 and/or April 6 to fight again.

For the 22-year-old Xhekaj, it was a confidence booster. Not just because he seemingly got the best of Reaves but also because it helped him feel like he had recovered from shoulder surgery.

The Maple Leafs ultimately got the last laugh on the scoreboard, as they squeezed out a 6-5 shootout win against the Canadiens in that season-opening game on Wednesday.