Ryan Reaves says he 'didn't do anything shady' in Toronto Maple Leafs departure
Ryan Reaves may have only played 84 games across two seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the enforcer certainly hasn’t avoided his fair share of headlines.
Earlier this month, Reaves spoke to the Cam and Strick Podcast hosted by Andy Strickland and former NHLer Cam Janssen, where he shared the details of some of his conversations with ex-Leafs star Mitch Marner.
With Reaves having played in Vegas from 2017-2021, he admitted that he’d spoken to Marner before the pair left Toronto about his time with the Golden Knights, offering him advice about his eventual new home.
Reaves spoke to Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Leafs Morning Take on Monday about some of the reception his comments had been getting from fans following the podcast’s release.
“Mitchy was hitting free agency, right? And I think that was pretty public knowledge. I’m very close with Mitch. I became very close with him over the years, the last few years, and he asked me my opinion about Vegas. I played here for four years. I live here all summer, because I love the city. What do you want me to do? You want me to lie to him, because I’m still technically signed with Toronto? That’s my boy. I’m not gonna steer him wrong.”
Two days after his interview with Cam and Strick, Reaves was shipped off to San Jose in a trade for defenceman Henry Thrun, though Reaves insisted the timing was coincidental. Reaves also added that he’d approached Leafs GM Brad Treliving with the idea of being sent out of town, as he played just 35 games this past season and ended the season out of the playoff lineup, including having a three-game stint as a member of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
“I loved my time [in Vegas]. I enjoyed every second of it. I think it’s a great place to live. You have the weather, you have the city, it’s a little more toned down than Toronto is, in relation to the fans, and then how much pressure there is there, I’m not gonna lie to [Marner] about that,” Reaves added. “And I wasn’t trying to, I wasn’t trying to draw [Marner] away from Toronto. I was just being honest to one of my boys. I don’t really care what the people say about that. I wasn’t doing anything shady or trying to hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was just being a friend.”
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