Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs Acquire Defenseman Henry Thrun From Sharks With Ryan Reaves Going the Other Way

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

In probably one of the more unexpected stories to come out of Toronto, the Maple Leafs have traded for young defenseman Henry Thrun with the San Jose Sharks. As part of the deal, Toronto sent forward Ryan Reaves to San Jose in return.

The deal sees the Leafs acquiring a relatively younger player in Thrun, who is just 24 years old, while the Sharks have gotten a veteran, 38-year-old Reaves, who could provide key experience to a team that is on the younger side.

What Are the Maple Leafs Getting With Thrun?

Thrun, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches in height and weighs approximately 210 pounds, is in the final year of his 2-year, $2-million contract, which he signed with the Sharks in 2024.

The young defender who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2019 made his NHL debut for the Sharks in 2022. Since then, he has played in 119 games, all for San Jose up to this point. Overall, Thrun has scored 25 points in his NHL career, with 12 of them coming from the 60 games he played last season.

Looking at this trade, Thrun is not expected to provide too much value to the Maple Leafs, but he can be used effectively if one of the other players gets hurt or misses out on a game.

However, this move makes sense for Toronto, which is now able to move away from Reaves, who was doing next to nothing for the franchise on his $1.35 million salary.

TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves pic.twitter.com/dZKTlDwXGP
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 11, 2025

What Are the Sharks Getting With Reaves?

On the other hand, Reaves, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches and weighs approximately 225 pounds, is on a one-year, $1.35 million deal. The right winger has played for several teams in the past, including a five-year stint with the St. Louis Blues and a four-year stint with the Vegas Golden Knights.

🔁 The #SJSharks have acquired Ryan Reaves from the Maple Leafs.
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 11, 2025

Reaves has never been much of a scorer or a playmaking forward. Throughout his career, the winger has had only one season in which he picked up 20 points. The advantage that Reaves brings to the team is his toughness, which will come in handy as he defends his younger teammates. As per the Sharks’ general manager, Mike Grier, Reaves will bring the energy and more personality to the team, having been a part of winning cultures in the past.

“We’re excited to welcome Ryan to the organization. He will bring energy, personality, physical play and toughness to our group. He has been a part of many winning teams, and I witnessed firsthand the positive impact he can bring to a group when I was with the Rangers.”

What might be hailed as an unusual trade could still be a positive for both sides. From Toronto’s point of view, Reaves was very limited in what he could offer the team, especially after his recent fallout with the Leafs fanbase. As for the Sharks, they could use some toughness to their roster and an experienced head that can get the team going.

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Henry Thrun

NHL

Ryan Reaves

San Jose Sharks

Toronto Maple Leafs

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!