Henry Thrun was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs by the San Jose Sharks on July 10 for Ryan Reaves.
The 24-year-old defenseman had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 60 games last season. He has one season remaining on a two-year, $2 million contract ($1 million average annual value) he signed with the Sharks on July 24, 2024.
Selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth round (No. 101) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Thrun has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 119 NHL games, all for the Sharks.
"An aspect of my game that hasn't really shined yet at the NHL level is my ability to move the puck," Thrun said Monday. "That was kind of my calling card in junior and college and playing with San Jose. I was very fortunate to get a chance to break in there and play a bunch of games and a lot of minutes but at times it was challenging to be put in positions to move the puck and get involved. It was a lot of defending and I was able to get experience with that."
Reaves had two assists in 35 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs last season. He did not appear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 38-year-old forward has one season remaining on a three-year, $4.05 million contract ($1.35 million AAV) he signed with Toronto on July 1, 2023.
“I’m really excited," Reaves said. "Everybody is asking me, ‘Oh, I can’t believe you’re going to San Jose.’ I go where anybody wants me and anybody who wants me I’m excited to do whatever I can for that team and that organization, so I’m excited to get down there.”
Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round (No. 156) of the 2005 NHL Draft, Reaves has 137 points (63 goals, 74 assists) in 912 regular-season games for the Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Maple Leafs. He also has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 113 playoff games.
“‘Reavo’ is someone we thought our group needed a little bit of personality, a little bit of size, some toughness, some physicality," Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. "I think one of the underrated things about his game, I think he manages the puck really well and he’s really good on the forecheck as F-1. So, it’s something we felt that we needed to add to our group with some of the skill we have. There were times, some games last year where we could’ve used someone like him, so we’re excited to bring his veteran leadership and energy and his whole package. We’re really happy to bring that into our group and I think it will help our group.”
Since making his NHL debut with St. Louis during the 2010-11 season, Reaves ranks fourth in the NHL with 3,065 hits.
“I want to bring what I brought to Vegas when I played against [the Sharks]: energy, physicality, sticking up for teammates, getting the energy going any way I can whether it’s a fight or whatever," Reaves said. "And off the ice just being a veteran voice. It’s a young team, obviously, a lot of young, really good skill, but I feel like every locker room needs somebody a little bit older, somebody who’s been through the playoffs and been through the grind for as long as I have. I just want to help out those young guys any way I can.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
