Ryan Reaves is one of the reasons why Mitch Marner signed with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Now, Reaves’s new team, the San Jose Sharks, will open the season on Thursday against Marner and the Golden Knights.

Last year, Marner, in his contract year, put up 102 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Reaves was his teammate.

But after nine productive seasons in Toronto — along with playoff disappointment after disappointment — Marner was ready for a new challenge. Reaves, who skated for Vegas from 2018 to 2021, was a sounding board for the top UFA on the market.

“I talked to him a lot about it,” Reaves said. “I obviously really enjoyed my time there. And as a friend, he asked me my opinion. Not gonna lie to him…Obviously, I think the writing was on the wall. He was out of there, and I think the writing was kind of on the wall for me, too.”

Marner was dealt to the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade on Jun. 30, finalizing an eight-year, $96 million contract shortly thereafter.

Reaves was traded to the San Jose Sharks a couple weeks later for Henry Thrun.

So what did Reaves tell Marner about Las Vegas?

“Told him he’d love the city and the experience and how the team is treated, and how it’s not so much in the spotlight like Toronto,” Reaves said. “And I think that’s exactly what he was looking for.”

In mid-May, after a second-round loss to the Florida Panthers, Marner told TSN that Maple Leafs fans had posted his family’s address online. The family also had full-time security for a spell too.

“We had people throwing stuff in his yard,” Darren Ferris, Marner’s agent, told the 100% Hockey Podcast over the summer. “There was another occasion where there was a death threat, and we traced it to a kid in Oakville.”

Ferris wanted Marner to test the free agency market, but the star winger had his sights set on Vegas.

“He heard directly from other players about Vegas and how they treat the players and their families,” Ferris said. “Safety for his family and being in the right environment mattered most.”

According to Reaves, Marner will find that, and more, in Las Vegas.

“The atmosphere at T-Mobile [Center], No. 1, was just electric. Every single night. I loved coming out through that Knight mask. That song and the fans buzzing every night,” Reaves recounted. “Driving down the Strip to games. It’s just a very unique experience. The whole city, the experiences, you have the best entertainment in the world, restaurants, everything.”

Reaves still has a summer home in Las Vegas.

“The city absolutely loves the team. They treat them very well,” Reaves said. “Fans are very respectful and treat the players very well.”

Reaves also had nothing but good things to say about Marner, a now-polarizing figure in Toronto.

“He’s a great guy, one of my favorite guys I ever played with, and I think he’s gonna love it there,” Reaves said. “He was one of our best players all year, did everything he could to help the team win every night.”

And now, Marner is helping the San Jose Sharks’ biggest rivals…but first and foremost, Reaves is glad for his friend.

“Sometimes, it’s just time to move on and experience new things,” Reaves said. “I think it was his time, and I’m happy for him.”