Ryan Reaves' tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs didn't work out the way either side wanted. But the player's new journey with the San Jose Sharks is off to a flying start.
Reaves scored his first goal with San Jose on Saturday in a speedy solo drive to the net before beating another former Leaf, Petr Mrazek.
The 38-year-old Reaves had an eventful night, getting into a brawl with Ross Johnson, and finished one assist shy of the Gordie Howe hat trick.
Despite the early offense from Reaves and San Jose, The Anaheim Ducks stormed back to defeat Reaves' Sharks 7-6.
The Maple Leafs signed Reaves to a three-year deal on July 1, 2023, for $1.35 million per season with the hopes he'd bring physicality and some personality to the locker room. But a combination of injuries and stretches as a healthy scratch limited the player to just 84 games over his first two seasons of the contract.
Why The Maple Leafs Traded Ryan Reaves To The Sharks For Defenseman Henry Thrun
The Ryan Reaves-era of the Toronto Maple Leafs has come to an end.
He was subsequently traded this past summer for defenseman Henry Thrun, who is currently playing with Toronto's AHL affiliate Marlies.
Shortly after his departure, Reaves was candid about his time in Toronto, mentioning he felt that if he had one bad game, he'd be scratched for eight. Reaves spent three games with the Marlies after he cleared waivers in March and recorded one goal.
https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/ryan-reaves-explains-why-he-only-dropped-the-gloves-once-with-maple-leafs-last-season#:~:text=Reaves%20admitted%20he%20requested%20a,tenure%20with%20the%20Maple%20Leafs.Reaves also mentioned he felt like when things went wrong, "the whole city wanted me out of there," which he felt was unique to Toronto.
Although Thrun is with the Marlies, Leafs GM Brad Treliving recently expressed happiness that the defenseman cleared waivers before the regular season began.
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