Ryan Reaves broke Toronto Maple Leafs trade news to fans before it was public
The Toronto Maple Leafs might’ve thought they’d break the news of one of their own trades last night, but one player involved had other plans.
On Thursday night, the Leafs shipped out Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks, with the deal coming out via official team press release without much media fanfare leading up to it.
While many trades are often reported on by the media prior to becoming official, there were no rumblings of any deal between the Leafs and the Sharks before the announcement.
A few minutes before the trade was officially announced by the Leafs, Reaves let the word slip while he was at a fan event during his summer home of Las Vegas.
Via KTNV’s Nick Walters, Reaves shared the news around 10:02 p.m. ET, a few minutes prior to the Leafs’ press release dropping at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Maple Leafs winger, former golden misfit Ryan Reaves tells the media at his meet-and-greet event in Vegas that he’s been traded to the San Jose Sharks. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/90KbfwQJB7
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) July 11, 2025
Weirdly, he’s not actually the first Leafs player (or now, ex-Leafs player) to break their own news in recent memory.
Leafs forward John Tavares actually broke the news of his own contract via a letter to fans earlier this offseason, while Auston Matthews did the same two years ago.
What was Reaves’ time with the Leafs like?
By the time Reaves ended up leaving the Leafs, it appeared that he knew this past season would probably be his last with the franchise.
Having signed a three-year deal worth US$1.35 million per year in Toronto prior to the 2023-24 season, the 38-year-old Reaves played just 35 games for the Leafs this past year, last suiting up on March 3.
“You can see the writing on the wall. You’re not playing. You’re not really involved anymore. That’s just naturally what’s going to happen when they’re trying to make a move. You know, it was tough. I hadn’t played in the AHL for 15 years now. It’s not somewhere I want to go back to, but that’s the nature of the business,” Reaves told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox about getting sent down to the AHL.
“Not a lot of 38-year-olds down there [in the AHL]. So, not really tailored for guys like me.”
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