Breaking NHL Trade: Maple Leafs Send Ryan Reaves Out West in 1-for-1 Deal

Ryan Reaves traded to San Jose for Henry Thrun

The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally moved on from enforcer Ryan Reaves, as they've traded him out West, to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, in return for defenseman Henry Thrun.

TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves pic.twitter.com/dZKTlDwXGP
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 11, 2025

The 6'2" Thrun has one year remaining with a $1 million cap hit, while the Leafs unload the final season of Reaves' $1.35M cap hit.

The Sharks recently added a trio of blueliners in Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy, making a trade of one of their incumbent D-men likely.

Thrun, 24, played in 60 games for San Jose this past season, averaging 17:31 of ice time. He was a healthy scratch for several games early, but picked up his play after being reinserted into the lineup, and finished the year with 12 points, a minus-23 rating and 66 blocked shots. He missed most of the month of March with an upper-body injury.

Thrun was a 4th round selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks.

The Reaves era in Toronto had its share of controversies, not the least of which was the inexplicable three-year contract he was handed by then-new GM Brad Treliving. The enforcer, in his two seasons with the Leafs, played a total of just 84 games, and had eight points, 268 hits and a minus-15 rating.

He finished his run in Toronto by slamming Leafs fans in a recent interview on The Cam & Strick podcast, saying about their treatment of the now-departed Mitch Marner, "I think they can be a little ruthless to him... I think it's tough for any player when you're just reading all the hate that you get. It's probably just frustrating."

Sharks happy to add Ryan Reaves in trade with the Maple Leafs

"We're excited to welcome Ryan to the organization," said Sharks GM Mike 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."

Translated: Reaves will be a bodyguard for Sharks youngsters like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Quentin Musty.