The Sharks have made a somewhat unexpected trade Thursday evening, acquiring forward/enforcer Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun.
This trade was primarily conducted to further restructure and help clear some of the logjam on the Sharks blue line. I want to begin this trade discussion with who the Sharks received in this deal in Ryan Reaves. Reaves is more known for his hard-nosed, agitator style of play and ability to fight than his scoring prowess. Many Sharks fans remember Ryan Reaves for his time with the rival Vegas Golden Knights, as he would often make the Sharks' lives difficult whenever the Sharks and Golden Knights faced each other during his tenure with Vegas. Last season with the Leafs, Reaves registered two assists and 28 penalty minutes, along with one goal in three AHL games with the Toronto Marlies. In total, Ryan Reaves has compiled 63 goals, 74 assists, 137 points, and 1100 penalty minutes in 912 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He has also been on teams who have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 14 of his past 15 NHL seasons, recording three goals, six assists, nine points, and 116 penalty minutes in 113 playoff games. Reaves' biggest goal of his NHL career was a game-winner scored in Game 5 of the 2018 Western Conference Final to send the expansion Golden Knights to the Cup Final. I see Ryan Reaves getting sheltered fourth-line minutes on the Sharks next season, but most importantly, he will protect and stand up for the Sharks' stars and younger players better than any other Sharks player has in the past few seasons.
On the other hand, Henry Thrun did not have a particularly great season for the Sharks in 2024-25. Heading into the 2025-26 season, Thrun would likely be competing with a few others for the Sharks' seventh defenseman spot on their roster and not be guaranteed to earn it. During his three seasons in teal from 2023 to 2025, Thrun recorded five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 119 games. At this point in his NHL career, Thrun would probably benefit from a change of scenery, and I feel for the once-promising young defenseman.
Overall, I am not the biggest fan of this one-for-one swap, and I was kind of shocked when I first found out about it. I would not have imagined that a once-bitter rival and thorn in the side of the Sharks in Ryan Reaves would end up joining the good guys at some point in his career, and I now find myself rooting for a player that I was previously not very fond of. In addition, Henry Thrun deserves better, and I hope he finds greater success in Toronto. As I think about it more, this trade makes sense for both the Sharks and Maple Leafs, as Toronto is often in need of more defensemen and San Jose could certainly benefit from a guy like Ryan Reaves to better protect its young star players. It may not be my favorite trade that the Sharks made in recent years, but there is always a possibility that this could work out in the Sharks' favor, and I hope that is the case here.
Source: Sharks + SAP Center App
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