The Toronto Maple Leafs announced late Thursday night that they have traded Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman 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
Reaves, 37, was signed to a three-year contract by the Maple Leafs two offseasons ago, with an average annual value of $1.35 million. Although his impact on the dressing room was undeniable, he provided little in the way of offence and wasn’t a difference maker in his own zone. He wasted no time winning over the hearts of fans by dropping the gloves in each of his first two games as a Maple Leaf, but between injuries and limited playing time, things reached a point where fights were a rarity for him.
Reaves spoke the day prior about wanting to pursue a Stanley Cup and hit the elusive 1000-game mark, which he sits 83 games shy of right now. While the Sharks are a ways from helping him pursue that first goal, he can put a significant dent into the second one considering the Sharks are a rebuilding team who could use a presence like Reaves.
“I still want to play,” Reaves told the Cam and Strick Podcast on Wednesday. “I’m 83 games from 1000 right now, so I would love to be able to hold on for another two years and hit that, then ride into the sunset. I don’t think I can make it past two more years, but I would love to get that.”
Thrun, 24, is a 6-foot-2 left-handed defenceman who was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He just finished his second season in the NHL, scoring two goals and chipping in 12 points in 60 games. The Massachusetts native spent three seasons at Harvard University and recorded 31 points in 33 games in 2022-23, his final season there. He is somebody who could challenge Simon Benoit for a spot on the bottom pair, and if nothing else, gives them another depth defenceman when the injury bug inevitably hits.
It’s a surprise that the Leafs were able to land anything for Reaves, considering his age and cap hit combined with his production during his time with the team, so to land a 24-year-old defenceman with good size and perhaps some untapped potential is a solid bit of business. On the other hand, Sharks GM Mike Grier gets a great dressing room presence who can mentor some of the young forwards on the team and provide them with a security presence of sorts on the ice.
At the time of filing, there isn’t believed to be any salary retained on either end of this trade. The Maple Leafs will save $350,000 in cap space with Thrun’s salary coming in at $1 million before he hits RFA status following the 2025-26 season.