The Minnesota Wild has added toughness in classic enforcer Ryan Reaves traded to them from the New York Rangers today.
Rangers deal Ryan Reaves to Minny for a 2025 fifth round pick. No salary retained.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 23, 2022
Ryan Reaves Traded to Minnesota
The Rangers traded Reaves to the Wild for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 entry draft. It’s a surprising destination, if not a surprising move, given Minnesota’s salary cap issues and their weakness in scoring. Reaves has yet to get a point in 12 games this year and had asked for a trade. His addition caps Minnesota’s NHL roster limit, but his salary fits. Whether he’ll help the team looking at the final playoff spot is another question.
It’s hard to picture where exactly he’ll line up in Minnesota. The plethora of capable wingers the team has pushes Reaves down the lineup, but he is a choice if coach Dean Evanson wants to shake up the team. Just his presence is enough to make the other team keep one eye up when making plays.
What the Rangers Gain
The Rangers move on from a player who was a fan favourite – as Reaves is wherever he goes and gain some cap space. They are near $2 million in room if they feel the need to add for a coming playoff run. That will increase the closer to the trade deadline the league gets, improving their options. Having room to add is reason enough to make the deal, never mind removing a player who didn’t want to be there.
The Eastern Conference is looking more interesting than last year, where the division between haves and have-nots was clear by December. Getting Ryan Reaves traded this early gives them a longer runway to add when the opportunity presents itself. As a general rule of thumb in the Salary Cap Era, the team with the most room can dictate the trade. Expect them to be in on any of the big names available in the coming months.
The Rangers have traded Ryan Reaves to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick pic.twitter.com/aLsszVmLlC
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 23, 2022
