It sure has been a busy day on the NHL trade front.
In the second notable move of the afternoon, the New York Rangers traded forward Ryan Reaves to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL draft.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers will not be retaining any of Reaves’ $1.75 million cap hit.
Reaves is obviously not known for his offensive prowess, making a name for himself with his fists and physicality instead. The 35-year-old has only slotted into just 12 games with the Rangers so far this season, losing his lineup spot to the club’s faster and younger depth forwards which left him on the outside looking in. According to multiple reports, Reaves’ agent recently asked Rangers GM, Chris Drury, for a trade in response to his client’s declining usage. And given Reaves’ past history with Wild GM Bill Guerin, Minnesota decided to pull the trigger.
With a career-high of just 20 points in a single season, Reaves will likely not help the Wild much offensively. But he is widely regarded as one of the best locker room presences in the entire NHL and has earned a reputation as a stellar teammate and leader wherever he goes. The Wild clearly value what Reaves will bring them off the ice. And with Reaves set to hit free agency at the end of the season, the risk in acquiring him is next to none.
In Minnesota, Reaves will almost certainly carve out the regular role at the bottom of the lineup he wasn’t able to in New York.
