Maple Leafs’ Unexpected Trade Sparks Mixed Reactions originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks late Thursday night, marking the end of an underwhelming stint that ended just days after Reaves publicly criticized Toronto fans.
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The Leafs sent Reaves, 38, to San Jose in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Henry Thrun. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts.
The trade allows Toronto to gain a bit of salary cap flexibility and to add a young blueliner with upside. The Sharks, meanwhile, get a veteran forward on his way to appearing in his 1,000th regular-season game; he is 82 shy of that figure.
Ryan Reaves had only two assists for the Maple Leafs last season.Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Reaves, however, is coming off a disappointing season in Toronto in which he only had two points (both assists) in 35 games. He ultimately was demoted to the Leafs’ AHL affiliate in March.
The move followed a string of comments by Reaves defending Mitch Marner after his trade to Vegas.
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At the start of this week, Reaves called out Maple Leafs fans for their harsh treatment of Marner, adding that the pressure likely contributed to the star’s exit from Toronto.
Though the Leafs never addressed the link between those comments and Thursday’s trade, the timing is hard to ignore. A few fans noticed that, while others shared different reactions to the news on X.
“Makes sense that Marner’s babysitter left as well,” one user wrote, linking the recent developments.
“Right after his negative comments about management re Marner,” another person said.
“Reaves is being brought on to be bodyguard for Celebrini and Smith for sure,” one fan posted.
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“Ryan Reaves will win a cup with the Sharks before the Leafs do,” a person opined.
“Wow, actually got a young defenseman for Ryan Reaves. That’s crazy,” one account posted.
“Reaves just wants to reach 1000 games. He will in SJ. This was kindness by the Leafs,” another user said.
“That’s actually a fantastic return for a 38-year-old who’s finished,” a person wrote.
“Lost a heck of a cheerleader,” one user joked.
“This might be the best trade this year,” someone chimed in.
“Given Ryan Reaves’ pursuit of 1,000 games, the Sharks might just be handing him a participation trophy in disguise,” another person said about Reaves’ milestone chase.
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Related: Ryan Reaves Calls Out ‘Ruthless’ Maple Leafs Fans After Mitch Marner’s Exit
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.