Ryan Reaves’ tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs has come to an end after he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Henry Thrun.
At the end of his season meeting with general manager Brad Treliving, Reaves expressed a desire for a trade and recently stated there wasn’t a fit with the team after he was put on waivers. While being placed on waivers is disappointing for anyone, the Maple Leafs really weren’t getting the Reaves they signed for this season compared to last season.
At 38-years old, Reaves was brought in to be a physical presence and while everyone remembers that intensity last season, there wasn’t any of that this time around. No one would be willing to drop the gloves with him as he had seven fights last season. This season, he only had one and that was against Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier.
Needless to say, Reaves wasn’t providing much of the physical play, but he also wasn’t able to keep up with the pace. The addition of Michael Pezzetta really cemented his fate and while Reaves gets an opportunity to play elsewhere, the Maple Leafs are better off without him as they got a potential replacement and impact piece in the process.
Pezzetta a Better Option Over Reaves
Pezzetta has been a fourth liner over his last four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, recording 38 points in 200 games. His 2024-25 season didn’t see him register a single point, but signing a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs and live out his dream of playing for his childhood team was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.
With the Maple Leafs’ offseason to date, their direction is clear. Finding hard working players that love to play in big pressure moments and want to win. Pezzetta clearly has the mindset with his game. While he would be the new enforcer on the team overtaking Reaves, he would provide a little more offensive upside. However, his defensive game and play within his own end could be of value as well, as his physical play and ability to get into lanes fits well with how the Maple Leafs want to play.
Although he didn’t produce points, there are some underlying numbers that stand out as his play at five-on-five is pretty decent. In 25 regular season games with the Canadiens, he had a Corsi for percentage of 52.67%, a scoring chances for percentage of 54.47% and a high danger chances for percentage of 56.82%. With Reaves, he was above or under 40% in all three categories.
Related: Ranking the Maple Leafs’ Recent Game 7 Losses By Level of Heartbreak
While the results may not be noticeable, the impact will and Pezzetta’s style and energy should be a good fit.
Thrun Has Untapped Potential
While it wasn’t a surprise to see Reaves traded, it was a pleasant surprise to get a solid depth defender in Thrun. In reality, many weren’t expecting this kind of a return. It really was a tidy piece of work by Treliving to offload a contract and a player that found his way out of the lineup to get a quality defender with a lot of untapped potential and upside.
Thrun was a standout player in college with Harvard University, posting 84 points over three seasons. He has played 119 games in his young NHL career with 25 points, 12 of those coming last season. While he hasn’t produced much in his NHL career, he has been playing and moving up and down on a rebuilding roster. Given how the Sharks haven’t been a strong offensive team, they have also given up a lot of goals as well– 636 over the last two seasons. Anyone’s numbers would be skewed. With the players coming up through the Sharks’ system, it might be time to move on from him.
Thrun alone is a very strong and mobile two-way defender. He’s quiet in the sense that nothing stands out, but he’s a player that can handle minutes, be reliable and effective on both sides of the puck. He’s a good skater in transition, defends well in his own end and has a lot of intangibles that fit with this team. He’s strong in battles and on the puck and can be physical when he needs to be.
The one thing that stands out is Thrun’s mindset. He’s constantly working hard to improve his game. Just last season, he stated that he wants to be the best that he can be and is aiming to be that top pairing defender. Whether he reaches that goal with the Maple Leafs is to be determined, but the way he’s approaching the game, making himself impactful and doing the little things right with his positioning and decision-making is already standing out. He could be a third pairing option for the Maple Leafs, but a really good one at that.
Related: Maple Leafs, Stolarz Have Plenty to Gain From an Extension
Overall, it’s something that both sides should be happy with. Despite not playing well and not finding any consistency to his game, Reaves goes to a team to get the play time. The Maple Leafs get a younger defender with upside and a forward that can provide slightly more impact. It’s moves that needed to happen, but it’s for the better.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey DB.
