As has been rumored for a few days now, the San Jose Sharks have started to clear out the log jam on defense, just not in the way that fans ever would have expected. General Manager Mike Grier announced on July 10 that the team had traded defenseman Henry Thrun to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves. It’s a player-for-player trade with no other players or picks exchanging hands.
Thrun was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in 2023 for a 2024 third-round pick (Maxim Masse). He played in 119 games for the Sharks between 2023-25 and had 25 points (5 G, 20 A).
The trade clears out a left-handed defenseman who has fallen down the Sharks’ depth chart with free agent acquisitions and the emergence of players like Luca Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson, the latter of whom has the potential to make the team out of the training camp.
What does Reaves bring to the Sharks?
Reaves has one year left on a contract that pays him $1.35 million. The 38-year-old was not a lineup regular on the playoff-bound Maple Leafs last season, and it’s unlikely that he’ll be one for the Sharks this season either. Still, he played 35 games and had two points, both assists.
But Reaves isn’t known for his scoring; he’s better known for his physical style of play. He has 1,100 penalty minutes in his 912 NHL games. It’s his toughness that Grier emphasized in his press release.
“We’re excited to welcome Ryan to the organization,” said Grier. “He will bring energy, personality, physical play and toughness to our group. He has been a part of many winning teams, and I witnessed firsthand the positive impact he can bring to a group when I was with the Rangers.”
The question is whether the physical play will be enough to outweigh what is an overall negative impact on offensively gifted teams. Last season, the Leafs averaged 3.15 goals per game, but Reaves was below league average in goals for per 60 minutes and expected goals for per 60 minutes.
And this isn’t something that’s just developed in the past season.
Since 2021, Reaves has played on playoff-bound teams (the Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers) every season, which would lead you to assume that these teams were scoring more than their opponents and yet Reaves was consistently been below league average in goals for per 60 minutes and expected goals for per 60 minutes.
The other team was also taking more shots against than were being generated when Reaves was on the ice.
Conclusion
While Thrun had clearly fallen off the depth chart with the free agency additions and the emergence of Dickinson last season, the trade for Reaves is a bit of a head-scratcher. It’s not even clear if the Sharks will be able to trade Reaves at the deadline for assets.
That said, Grier might just be thinking that with the loss of Luke Kunin, who was a mediocre fighter at best, the Sharks needed someone who will jump in to protect players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and potentially Michael Misa against other NHL players who might try to take liberties against the young forwards.
An old school “enforcer” like Reaves would ensure that the young guys stay safe in a season where no one will be taking Celebrini and Smith lightly.
