Reaves signs 3-year contract with Maple Leafs

Ryan Reaves signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. It has an average annual value of $1.35 million.

The 36-year-old forward had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 73 games for the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers last season, all his points coming with Minnesota after he was acquired in a trade with New York on Nov. 23. He did not have a point in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"At 36 I don't have a Cup yet. I just really want to win," Reaves said. "That's really the only thing on my mind right now. So you know, obviously money is always somewhat important but right now winning's a little more important to me. And you know, for me, Toronto, they got over that first-round hump last year, and I think that was such a big weight off their shoulders. Maybe a little overly emotional, because it just took so long to happen that maybe too many emotions ran into the second round. So to me, they're trending in the right direction. Obviously, a lot of star power. A team that I think can win in the next couple of years, can win this year, can win in the next three years. So that was basically my decision. I wanted to go to a contender and I, and I think Toronto is a contender."

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The Maple Leafs (50-21-11) won a playoff series last season for the first time since 2004 but fired general manager Kyle Dubas, replacing him with Brad Treliving on May 31.

Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round (No. 156) of the 2005 NHL Draft, Reaves has 129 points (59 goals, 70 assists) and 1,023 penalty minutes in 828 regular-season games for the Wild, Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins and Blues and eight points (three goals, five assists) in 108 playoff games.

"I don't ever come into a locker room shy or quiet," Reaves said. "I tend to come in and start chirping people right away, just kind of get that over with. I think for me, I don't play a lot of minutes. I don't score a ton of goals. So a lot of what I do as a physical player, making sure guys feel safe on the ice and chirping. Getting guys space on the ice. For me I take that very seriously."

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report.