Reaves took ex-Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Marner out for dinner in Vegas
The Toronto Maple Leafs might not officially be affiliated with Mitch Marner anymore, but that hasn’t necessarily ended his friendships with former teammates.
Speaking to Andy Strickland and former NHLer Cam Janssen on the Cam and Strick podcast, Leafs forward Ryan Reaves revealed that he actually took Marner out to a dinner in Las Vegas this week after the latter made the move there via a blockbuster sign-and-trade deal earlier this month.
Reaves, who played for the Golden Knights from 2018-2021, has spent his last few offseasons in the Nevada city.
“Mitchy earned the right to go wherever he wants, and he’s dedicated his whole career to Toronto. Hometown guy, he’s poured everything he had into it. Sometimes it’s time to move on. There’s not much else to say, I’m happy for him. He deserves the contract he got, I wish him the best for sure,” Reaves said.
Reaves was also asked to compare the two markets, having played for both teams.
“It’s just easy living, there’s no traffic, coming from Toronto where traffic has been atrocious. It’s hot all year, the organization treats you really well, they’ve got a good team… what’s there to complain about?”
Marner’s exit after nine years with the franchise wasn’t exactly a clean one, with many fans having strong emotions about his departure. Marner and the Leafs reportedly never held serious contract talks either during or following this past season, leaving Toronto mostly in the dark until the sign-and-trade with Vegas.
“I think [Leafs fans] can be a little ruthless to [Marner], just because he’s a hometown guy, fans want to point fingers at somebody,” Reaves said. “But I think there’s two sides to the fans in Toronto, the ones who just want to win so bad that they’re willing to drag anyone through the dirt, and there’s the loyal ones that want to just cheer on a good team. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fans there, so you get a lot of both.”
Reaves admitted that he’s not exactly all that active on social media these days.
“I stopped looking at Twitter because there’s some outrageous people that sit in their basements and tweet some garbage,” he said.
What’s next for Reaves and the Leafs?
Having signed a three-year deal worth US$1.35 million per year in Toronto prior to the 2023-24 season, Reaves played just 35 games for the Leafs this past year, last suiting up on March 3.
He also played three games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this past season, all of which were at home.
“I wasn’t hopping on any buses either,” Reaves said. “That wasn’t happening.”
The Leafs opted against a buyout for Reaves this summer, though it’s unclear what his future in the NHL holds.
Known primarily for his fighting abilities, Reaves only dropped the gloves once for Toronto last season.
“I just didn’t have a lot of run-ins,” he summed up. “I do wish I fought more, but we’ll see what next year brings.”
If they choose to bury his salary in the AHL for one more year, they’d still have to pay him his full amount of US$1.35 million, but only see a cap hit of US$200,000 for the next season if he remains stashed in the minors, per PuckPedia.