Ryan Reaves, the enforcer for the New York Rangers, has been traded to the Minnesota Wild, according to multiple reports.
Elliott Freidman and Michael Russo, two of the top reporters in the NHL, are reporting the trade. Pierre LeBrun says the Wild are sending New York a 2025 fifth-round pick, but the Wild is taking on the remaining money on Reaves’ contract.
Rangers deal Ryan Reaves to Minny for a 2025 fifth round pick. No salary retained.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 23, 2022
Reaves has played in 12 games this season and averaged just over eight minutes of ice time per game. He has zero goals and zero assists and has a minus-5 rating. He’s playing on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.
Never a goal scorer, Reaves is known for bringing toughness and physical play to the ice. But he had been a healthy scratch in six of the past seven Rangers games and there was talk of him being placed on waivers, thus the Wild swooping in to get him.
“Geez, it’d sure be nice to leave the lines alone. Literally last year we didn’t touch the lines. It basically stayed the same the entire season,” Wild coach Dean Evason said Wednesday morning on KFAN radio, noting the numerous injuries that have depleted the roster and forced constant lineup changes.
“Injuries happen all the time. There’s no excuses. You put on that a jersey you’re a Minnesota Wild player regardless of how many games you’ve played,” Evason said.
