Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Dealing Fan-Favorite For $6 Million Player

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumored to be likely to make a trade or two to help clear some roster space. However, one trade pitch sees the team dealing a fan-favorite forward.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs trade Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks.

Maple Leafs acquire:

• Marco Strum

Sharks acquire:

• Ryan Reaves
• 2027 fourth-round pick

The proposed deal sees the Maple Leafs dealing fan-favorite forward Reaves and a draft pick to San Jose for Sturm.

Sturm could play a bottom-six role with the Maple Leafs and add some depth scoring to the lineup. The centerman could be Toronot’s third-line center as he’s in the final year of his three-year $6 million deal. Last season with the Sharks, Sturm recorded 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 63 games. He’s skated in 269 career games recording 39 goals and 39 assists for 78 points.

In return, Toronto would part ways with a fourth-round pick in 2027 and Reaves. Reaves is a fan-favorite forward due to his fighting ability. However, his name has come up in trade rumors due to his cap hit and the Maple Leafs needing to make room at forward. Reaves has two years left on his three-year $4.05 million deal. He could play on the Sharks’ fourth line and be an enforcer around young players like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.

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Reaves Saying Playing for Maple Leafs is Challenging

Reaves signed a three-year deal with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2023. He was set to add some size and physicality on the fourth line.

Ahead of his second season in Toronto, Reaves appeared on the ‘Spittin’ Chiclets’ podcast and opened up on the difficulties of playing in this market.

“It was hard for me at the beginning of the year because I was playing like (expletive),” Reaves said. “When you’re not performing here, the media jumps on you. The fans that are sitting in their parents’ basement, they jump on you. I went through a little bit of a tough stretch there where I couldn’t get anything going on the ice.

“I was getting scratched and thinking, ‘Everybody wants me out of here.’ It was the first time I really experienced low confidence for a couple of months there. When I finally came back, I played better,” Reaves added.

In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Reaves skated in 49 games recording 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. In his NHL career, he’s skated in 877 games recording 63 goals and 72 assists for 135 points.

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Sharks’ Celebrini Healthy Ahead of Season Opener

San Jose is a rebuilding team as the Sharks had the worst record in the NHL last season.

San Jose ended up selecting Celebrini first overall who dealt with an injury at the end of training camp. However, Celebrini says he is healthy and will be in the lineup for San Jose’s season opener.

“I’m all good,” Celebrini said. “It (stinks) whenever you get hurt. (You are) busy rehabbing, but it was a nice little reset before the year.”

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky also confirmed the first overall pick would be in the lineup.

“We had an idea that he would be fine to go today,” Warsofsky said. “He was good today. I would say he’s good to go.”

The Sharks open its 2024-25 NHL season on October 10 at home against the St. Louis Blues.

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