The New Jersey Devils are officially in offseason mode. Over the next few days, we will look at 20 potential free agents they could look at signing. Today, we look at the Vegas Golden Knights Ryan Reaves.
The New Jersey Devils offseason will be an interesting one. There are a few pieces the Devils need to add, and a few possible big fish the team can obtain. Like the Devils did last year, it’s more likely the Devils make a few smaller moves rather than one big move. One player the team could look into is the Vegas Golden Knights’ Ryan Reaves.
Before we go into what Reaves could bring to this team, let’s see what he brought to game one of the Western Conference Finals.
Ryan Reaves sends Blake Wheeler into the Vegas bench. pic.twitter.com/L5a4r73bR4
— Ryan Quigley (@ryanquigz) May 12, 2018
Now that the cat is out of the bag, let’s talk about what Reaves can bring to the Devils if GM Ray Shero decides to sign him.
Reaves is obviously not the typical player fans want in the offseason. He’s a tough guy who only scored 31 goals in his career. However, he provides some things that don’t always end up on Sportscenter (Sportscentre for our Canadian friends).
Despite his lack of scoring stats, Reaves is a presence on the ice. Reaves was ninth in the league in hits this season with 236. In 2014-15, he was fourth in the league with 276 hits.
Again, Reaves isn’t the typical player, but there’s a reason the St. Louis Blues kept him for so long. He’s not a typical player in today’s NHL, but he brings an old school feeling that fans want to root for. He’s willing to scrap when the team needs a spark, and can knock anyone and everyone off the puck.
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Yes, this would be a very weird signing for the Devils. Reaves is not the fast attacking player they’ve looked for in the past, but with the trade of Patrick Maroon at the trade deadline Shero proved he’s willing to switch his philosophies.
So, what will Reaves command on the open market? Well, he’s coming off a four-year, $4.5 million contract. Honestly, I think he’s going to have to take a slight pay cut. He should command somewhere in the realm of $1 million per season or less.
Still, too much would have to happen for this to make sense. Maroon would not be re-signed because that would change the dynamic of the team on the ice. Also, I could see the team moving on from Miles Wood, hopefully in a move for another superstar. Having Wood and Reaves on the roster would be too many penalty minutes.
There’s too many moves to be made to add Reaves to this roster. I would be very surprised if Shero even considers this.