Ryan Reaves said he didn't request trade from Rangers

Ryan Reaves returned to Madison Square Garden Tuesday, when his new team, the Minnesota Wild, visited his old team, the Rangers. Reaves greeted old teammates Braden Schneider and Mika Zibanejad, the only two Rangers who decided to skate at the Garden in the morning, and hugged skills coach Mark Ciaccio before the Wild did their morning skate.

Then, after he and his new teammates completed their short skate in preparation for the evening’s game, Reaves told reporters that he did not request a trade from the Rangers, as had been reported at the time of the deal in November.

“That's a half-truth, and a half-lie,’’ Reaves said when asked if he requested a trade.

“I had been scratched a little bit, and I asked what was going on, and they said, ‘You're not going to be playing every game,’’’ Reaves said. “And then I talked to my agent, and he found out that there was a trade that was being worked on for a while, already, with Minnesota. And once I heard that, well, you know, if you're trying to trade me, then I'm not going to stick around just to linger, and wait for something else to happen. If you're trying to trade me, you don't want me, then, yeah, I'm going to push it forward and ask for a trade.

“But I'm not the one who put it in motion, we'll put it that way.’’

In his pregame briefing with the media, Rangers coach Gerard Gallant was asked if he felt he’d had good communication with Reaves before the trade, about his role on the team and his situation.

“I don't know how to answer that,’’ Gallant said. “I’m a little surprised.’’

Reaves, one of the league’s most feared enforcers and a popular player in the Rangers’ locker room, described his time with the team this season as “frustrating.’’ He essentially had lost his spot as a regular in the lineup once Julien Gauthier came up from the minor leagues and played well enough to force his way into the fourth-line right wing position. At the time of the Nov. 23 trade, Reaves had been scratched for four straight games, and seven of eight. He was scheduled to be scratched for that night’s game in Anaheim, as well.

With the Rangers trying to trim the roster to 22 players (one below the maximum 23) in order to create salary cap space, the trade, which sent him to the Wild in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, cleared his $1.75 million salary off their cap. For Reaves, it gave him a chance to play regularly for a team that had room for him in its lineup.

“He's brought a lot to our group,’’ Wild coach Dean Evason said. “Everybody says 'Well, everybody plays bigger because he's out there.' Well, sure they do… He's that guy. But he's also very supportive of his teammates. So guys play, I think, better, more confidently, not just because he's tough, [but also)] because he's supportive.’’

Reaves played 12 games for the Rangers and had no goals, no assists, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of minus-5. Entering Tuesday, he’d played 20 games for the Wild, registering no goals, four assists, seven penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of zero.

Reaves, who has played 13 seasons and will be 36 on Jan. 20, said he has fit into the locker room in Minnesota and is happy there.

“The morning I found out that something was going on [regarding a potential trade] was frustrating, and then the second I got to Minny, I was fine,’’ said Reaves, who has now played for St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Vegas, the Rangers and the Wild. “Since I got traded the first time, I've always lived by [the philosophy of] you go where you're wanted, and be happy where you're wanted. So obviously my time ran out here and I was wanted in Minnesota. So I was happy to go.’’

Notes & quotes: Tuesday’s game was the first of three straight and five of six at home for the Rangers. The only road game in the span will be a trip to Columbus Monday, which will be the second night of a back-to-back . . . Forward Jonny Brodzinski, who missed the previous two games as his wife delivered the couple’s second child, returned to the lineup, replacing Sammy Blais. Blais and D Libor Hajek were the Rangers’ two healthy scratches.

Hajek sat out his 12th straight game as he has been replaced as the sixth defenseman by Ben Harpur. Hajek last played in the Dec. 12 win over the Devils . . . Igor Shesterkin, who took the loss in New Jersey Saturday, was back in goal for the Rangers. Jaroslav Halak, who missed Monday’s practice because of a stomach virus, was well enough to serve as his backup.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.