Toronto Maple Leafs Reeves ahead of Rielly hearing: 'I thought it was a good fit'

Toronto Maple Leafs veteran Ryan Reaves backed up defenseman Morgan Rielly's reaction to Ridley Greig's empty net shot when asked about the situation Monday.

Rielly, who skated with the Leafs on Monday, will have a private hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Tuesday to examine the head of the Ottawa Senators forward in the dying seconds of Saturday's game.

“If you go back to when I came into the league, it's probably still on the ice,” Reaves said Monday. “I thought (Rielly's response) was appropriate. I don't understand how a little boy can think it's okay to do something like that.''

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he was surprised Rielly got a private hearing, but his club is paying a lot of attention.

“I think there's a history of things that happened in Toronto and with the Leafs that get a lot of attention and a lot of hype that leads to something like this,” Keefe said.

Rielly, who was ruled out of cross-examination in Saturday's 5-3 loss, could be suspended for more than five games after being offered a personal hearing.

The 29-year-old has seven goals and 43 points in 50 games this season, while leading Toronto in average ice time at 24:21. TJ Brodie is second on the team in average ice time, well behind Rielly at 21:44 per game.

Reaves, a veteran of 853 games, has accumulated a total of 1,043 penalty minutes since his NHL debut in 2010-11. He has two goals and no assists in 25 games with the Maple Leafs this season, allowing 20 penalty minutes in his first year with the club.