The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired 24-year-old defenceman Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves.
Thrun was taken in the fourth round (101st overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was traded to San Jose in February 2023, where he signed his ELC. In the previous three seasons, Thrun has played 119 games in the NHL with five career goals and 20 assists for 25 points. In 2024, he signed a 2-year, $2M dea,l meaning he will be an RFA after next season.
Ryan Reaves is in the final year of his current 3-year, $1.35M AAV contract. He struggled to find a consistent place in the Leafs lineup last season, playing only 35 games and getting waived and sent down to the minors. He was also unable to crack the playoff lineup, seeing no ice time in the postseason.
Reaves recently went on the “Cam and Strick” podcast and talked about his wish to hit the 1000 games played mark in the NHL, saying:
“I’d love to hold on for another two years, hit that mark and ride into the sunset. I don’t think I’ve got more than two years left, but the dream is always the Stanley Cup. When I first came into the league, I remember telling my wife, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I hit 100 games?’ Then it was 200, then 500, and now I’m thinking maybe I chase 1,000. For a player who plays like me, that’d be a pretty cool accomplishment. So, Stanley Cup and 1,000 games, in that order.”
Despite this being a relatively minor deal, Brad Treliving has accomplished much with this move. First of all, he did right by Ryan Reaves. The likelihood of Reaves making the Leafs lineup next season is almost negligible, meaning that the chances of him hitting the thousand games mark almost impossible. By going to San Jose, even if his dream of winning the Stanley Cup became less likely, he has more opportunity to play regularly and keeps the race to 1K alive.
Secondly, Brad cleared cap space while bringing in a player with potential upside and very little risk. Henry Thrun makes $1M against the cap, a $350K savings compared to Reaves. Additionally, this is a contract that can be completely buried in the minors, so if Thrun does not make the team, the Leafs are not worse off.
Thrun is a young(ish) puck-moving defenceman who plays a strong game and will bolster the mid to bottom pairing depth on this Leafs team. He is a left-hand shot, so he will most likely be competing with Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, and Dakota Mermis for a lineup slot.
The Leafs currently have $5.3M in cap space remaining, with a top-six forward being the obvious target for a trade. Moving players like Kampf and Jarnkrok can clear an additional $4.5M.
Brad Treliving is clearly gearing up for more moves, and so far, I’ve been quite impressed with his offseason. Here’s hoping that stays true.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!