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Retired NHL Enforcer Reveals the Truth Behind Ryan Reaves' Unexpected Trade Last Night
Retired NHL enforcer Jay Rosehill revealed that a main factor that could have led to Ryan Reaves being traded was his disappointment at being sent down to the AHL.
Ryan Reaves was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday for defenseman Henry Thrun. The 37-year-old enforcer will be going to his seventh NHL team, recording 912 regular-season and 113 playoff games.
Ryan Reaves signed a three-year, $4.05 million deal with Toronto but had his role dwindle following a rough first year. Even though he fought seven times during the first year of his contract, his pairing with David Kampf didn't click.
Reaves had only one scrap by the end of last season and was sent to the AHL's Toronto Marlies to open up cap space.
On 'Leafs Morning Take', analyst and former NHL enforcer Jay Rosehill postulated that this dip, together with Toronto's roster shifting, may have been his demise.
"I imagine Reavo wasn't pleased with his situation, going down to the Marlies for the first time," Rosehill said on Thursday.
"Who knows when the last time Reavo was in the minors. I'm sure he wants to play out his contract in the National Hockey League. So whether he put the bird in the air or what, it doesn't really matter. I'm sure he was happy to go somewhere where he had opportunity to play."
"Who knows when the last time Reavo was in the minors. I'm sure he wants to play out his contract in the National Hockey League. So whether he put the bird in the air or what, it doesn't really matter. I'm sure he was happy to go somewhere where he had opportunity to play."
He and co-host Nick Alberga also discussed how pressure from fans in a city such as Toronto can rush these kinds of decisions, and even influence other situations, such as the talks of the future for Mitch Marner.
Reaves is determined to hit the 1,000 game mark in the NHL
In his first comments following the trade, Reaves said he saw it coming and stated that he does not want to retire in the minor leagues. He is still focused on getting to the 1,000-game plateau.
"There are two sides to fans in Toronto," Reaves said on Tuesday, via 'The Cam & Strick Podcast.' "I think there's the ones who just want to win so bad that they will drag anybody through the dirt, and loyal fans that just want to support the team."
"You can see the writing on the wall. You're not playing. You're not really involved anymore," Reaves said on Thursday, via Sportsnet. "You know, it was tough. I hadn't played in the AHL for 15 years now. It's not somewhere I want to go back to, but that's the nature of the business.
"I'd rather go play and be part of something than just kind of be sitting in limbo and doing nothing."
"You can see the writing on the wall. You're not playing. You're not really involved anymore," Reaves said on Thursday, via Sportsnet. "You know, it was tough. I hadn't played in the AHL for 15 years now. It's not somewhere I want to go back to, but that's the nature of the business.
"I'd rather go play and be part of something than just kind of be sitting in limbo and doing nothing."
San Jose is close to his offseason home in Las Vegas, and with the Sharks in a rebuild, Reaves will receive more playing time.
With more players like Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli added to Toronto, he would likely have been buried in the depth chart.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 11 | 157 ANSWERS Retired NHL Enforcer Reveals the Truth Behind Ryan Reaves' Unexpected Trade Last Night Do you believe Ryan Reaves no longer wanted to be in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 128 | 81.5 % |
| No | 29 | 18.5 % |
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