The San Jose Sharks have acquired winger Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun.
Reaves, a 38-year-old enforcer, is in the final season of his three-year contract that he signed back in 2023. He carries a salary and a cap hit of $1.35 million, and will likely be used to help protect young San Jose Sharks stars like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Last season with the Maple Leafs, Reaves played in 35 games and had two assists. He also had a three-game stint in the American Hockey League, where he scored a single goal for the Toronto Marlies.
Sharks fans may remember Reaves specifically for his time with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2019 playoffs, and his battles with Evander Kane. Reaves has suited up for 912 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Maple Leafs.
Trading Thrun, perhaps an unpopular move, helps clear up an obvious logjam of defensemen following the acquisitions of Nick Leddy and Dmitry Orlov in free agency. Thrun, 24, didn’t have a clear pathway to playing time with the San Jose Sharks at this stage and was out of options, and general manager Mike Grier opted to add some gritty depth to the organization. He’s signed next year for $1 million AAV and will be an RFA.