The San Jose Sharks acquired Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Henry Thrun. While the move was a bit perplexing to both fan bases at first, especially for Sharks fans, it helped clear an obvious logjam and added some needed toughness to the forward group.
There isn’t much upside offensively for Reaves, as he’s posted a total of 137 points over the course of 16 seasons, but both the organization and the player know what he brings to the table.
The 38-year-old winger has one more year on his current contract, which has a cap hit of $1.35 million. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2023-24 season, and things certainly didn’t go as either he or the team had hoped.
According to Reaves, he never gelled with the coaching staff, and constantly moving in and out of the lineup on a consistent basis never allowed him to get momentum going for his game. Despite the issues, Reaves still referred to the Maple Leafs as “a first-class organization.”
Reaves, who found out about the move “two minutes before a signing,” said that he asked Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving for a change of scenery. “The way things ended in Toronto, it wasn’t exactly how I wanted,” Reaves said. “It was time to move on. I’m happy that Treliving out in Toronto found a spot for me, and I couldn’t be more happy in San Jose.”
Fans in San Jose don’t have the fondest memories of Reaves, who spent a few years with the Vegas Golden Knights half of a decade ago, which led to some intense and memorable playoff moments.
When asked about his history with his new organization, Reaves joked: “What history?” He then continued, adding, “I think it’s definitely good that there was a little buffer in between to let that cool off a little. There [have been] a few teams over the years that I would’ve said I never would’ve gone to just because of the rivalries that were going on, Chicago when I played in St. Louis. Then, probably San Jose from our days in Vegas.”
Coming into a young team looking to move out of a rebuild, Reaves knows exactly why general manager Mike Grier brought him into the fold. “They definitely didn’t sign me for my goal scoring.” Instead, Reaves will be tasked with the responsibility of protecting the Sharks’ young stars, specifically Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and possibly Michael Misa if he makes it to the NHL this season. ”I know my role, and I know what I need to bring to this team.”
Reaves’ game focuses squarely on physicality, and even if he’s not an everyday player, he can also add some veteran leadership. With the departure of Marc-Edouard Vlasic this summer, Reaves has instantly become the oldest player in the Sharks organization. Over the years, he’s played with some of the top players in the NHL, including Sidney Crosby, Artemi Panarin, and, of course, Toronto’s former “core four”. As a result, even as a fourth-line enforcer, Reaves will bring a wealth of knowledge he can share with the Sharks’ young stars.
Entering this season, Reaves has played a total of 912 career NHL games. With 88 games remaining until he hits the milestone of 1000 games played, he won’t hit that benchmark this season with the Sharks. Regardless, he’s confident he can play all 82 games this season if he’s asked to do so, but Father Time is slowly catching up with him. “I don’t know if any 38-year-old hockey player is 100% but it’s good enough to get on the ice, get up and down, and play the way I need to, play physical and fight when I need to.”
At this stage of his career, the main thing Reaves wants is to be wanted. “I go where anybody wants me and anybody who wants me,” he said. “I’m excited to do whatever I can for that team and organization.”
Reaves doesn’t bring much offensive or even defensive value to the Sharks. He has one job with the San Jose Sharks, and that’s to protect his younger teammates through his physical play. He’s not the type of player who will be in the lineup on a nightly basis, more than likely, but if he’s going to win over the fans in the Bay Area, he’ll need to make an impact whenever he’s given an opportunity to do so.
If Reaves wants to hit the 1000-game mark, he needs to have an impressive run with the Sharks and show teams around the league that he still has what it takes to make an impact. As a result, he’ll be an interesting player to keep an eye on when the season gets underway this fall.
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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