Ryan Reaves Traded to Minnesota Wild for 5th Round Pick
In a move that surprises very few, the Rangers have traded their enforcer back to the Western Conference.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from the Wild in exchange for Ryan Reaves.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 23, 2022
Reaves himself saw the writing on the wall earlier this season. The winger hasn’t dressed to play since the Rangers’ tilt against the Nashville Predators on November 12th. In an interview with The New York Post he commented on how tough it’s been for him to remain in game shape when not playing consistently, he went a bit further commenting on the amount of roster worthy players the Rangers have “we’ve got a lot of bodies around here and I don’t know how it’s going to shake out.” With the resurgence of Julien Gauthier, Reaves turned into the odd man out.
Since having the above mentioned conversation, Reaves hasn’t played a game. Per Dan Rosen, this forced Reaves into the difficult spot of requesting a trade.
Ryan Reaves, traded from NYR to MIN today, requested a trade with his agent to GM Chris Drury while the team was in Los Angeles, per a source. The Rangers wanted to accommodate him, so they acted quickly. The Wild are taking on all of what's remaining on his $1.75M cap hit.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) November 23, 2022
We’re all aware of the mad debate online on what value Ryan Reaves brings to a team. He’s got those intangibles we always talk about charisma, camaraderie, and an intimidating demeanor. But let’s face it there are several skilled players that should be played over Reaves. He’s seemingly a great person and teammate, but if it’s about dressing the most skilled roster on a daily basis Reaves should not be playing, especially while we have Kravtsov still not getting ice time. Reaves is set to make his debut with the Minnesota Wild later this week and the Rangers shed a small amount of salary potentially giving themselves more flexibility at the trade deadline. It’s a win/win for everyone.