Ryan Reaves appreciated that Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving found him a new home. The 38-year-old forward was traded by the Leafs to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun. During a Zoom call on Friday, Reaves told reporters he expressed a desire for a change of scenery during his year-end meeting with the club.
“I just thought that this wasn't obviously a good fit,” Reaves explained. “I'm assuming he probably thought the same after putting me on waivers and sending me to the minors and just thought it was kind of time to part ways."
The Maple Leafs signed Reaves to a three-year contract worth an average of $1.35 million per season in the summer of 2023. He was brought in to add a physical presence and leadership to the room. This was one of a handful of moves made by Treliving when he took over as GM of the club.
Despite his experience, Reaves spent a considerable amount of time out of the lineup with the Leafs. During the 2023-24 season, Reaves pointed to an instance when he was placed on long-term injured reserve with a knee injury. He revealed to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that despite being on LTIR, he had been ready “for a couple of weeks now.”
Reaves finished his first season in Toronto with four goals and two assists in 49 games. He played in five of Toronto’s seven playoff games in their first-round series loss to the Boston Bruins, recording one assist.
However, from a playing perspective, things didn't change for Reaves despite the introduction of new head coach Craig Berube. Reaves played only 35 games. He was limited to two assists and was subsequently placed on waivers, then assigned to the Toronto Marlies where he scored one goal in three games.
“I think there was just a lack of trust very early in the season,” Reaves explained. “It just kind of looked like if I had one bad game, I was out of the lineup for four, five, six, seven, eight, nine games. I'd come back in, have a good game, but then be taken right back out. I just really couldn't ever gain any momentum with my game or gain any traction. And that's hard, it's hard to play like that. So, yeah, I just didn't see a fit for me in the lineup, and it is what it is. That's also part of the business.”
It sounds like Reaves will get more playing time in San Jose, a team he’s familiar with from his heated rivalry with the club as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Reaves lives in Vegas during the offseason and was doing an autograph signing when he learned of his trade to the Bay Area.
Although the Reaves era in Toronto didn’t work out, the veteran praised the organization for how it treats its players, in addition to the friends he made on the team. “I've been in some really good organizations. I just... Toronto treats their players, I don't know what it is, just a little bit extra. You know, and I think that comes with the standard of putting a winning team on the ice.”
Reaves, who has never been short on words, also reflected on what surprised him the most: understanding that the fans are passionate, but wondering why things got quiet in the playoffs at times. “The arena could have been absolutely rocking at one point, and then just dead silent at another,” Reaves said. “I think that surprised me a little bit, but passionate fans are passionate fans.”
Reaves also addressed playing in a pressure-packed market and whether he ever felt any of the heat. “I started the season two years ago very well, and then things just started going really wrong for me, and all of a sudden this whole city wanted me out of there. I don't think you see that in other organizations,” Reaves said. “Now, having said that, there are whatever nine million people there, so there are a lot more voices, and obviously it’s the hockey mecca of the world, so there are going to be a lot more voices because of that. But yeah, it wasn't anything too crazy. It's definitely different, but it's nothing too crazy.”
In moving Reaves, the Leafs are able to give him a new lease on his hockey life. San Jose is a rebuilding club that will appreciate his experience. Meanwhile, the Leafs are able to avoid a $200,000 salary cap hit they would have incurred had Reaves been placed on waivers and gone unclaimed to start the 2025-26 season.
