"Don't see how a kid thinks it's appropriate to do that" - Ryan Reaves provides his honest verdict on Morgan Rielly-Ridly Greig incident 

By Vignesh Krishnan

Modified Feb 15, 2024 16:48 GMT

The Ottawa Senators edged past the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3, but the loss was not the only setback for Morgan Rielly.

The veteran defenseman delivered a vicious cross-check to the head of Senators forward Ridly Greig, who scored the fifth goal for the Senators with an empty-net slapshot.

The 21-year-old received backlash from many in the hockey community, including Maple Leafs winger Ryan Reaves, for the controversial nature of his goal.

While talking to the media, Reaves said,

"If you rewind to when I came into the league, he's probably still laying on the ice. I thought (Morgan Rielly's response) was appropriate. I don't see how a kid that young thinks it's appropriate to do something like that."

Regardless of the nature of the goal, Rielly has some explaining to do as a hearing is set to take place to discuss the repercussions of his actions.

What's next for Morgan Rielly?

The NHL Player Safety account tweeted that Rielly's hearing will take place on Tuesday.

Given the nature of the incident and there being an in-person meeting to discuss this, Rielly is likely to face a suspension, however brief, which may get increased further based on the decision of the committee.

This means Rielly could miss games at least until Feb. 23. He could get a chance to return to the ice on Feb. 25 when they travel to face the Colorado Avalanche.