Ryan Reaves has called it a career.
The 39-year-old forward, who spent 16 seasons in the NHL, announced his retirement Wednesday, Sept. 16, in a post on his Instagram account. Reaves, a 2005 NHL Draft pick by the St. Louis Blues, went 156th overall and didn’t make his league debut for another five seasons.
Once he got there, he carved out a long run as one of the game’s most recognizable heavyweights. From 2010 to 2017 with St.
Louis, and later in other stops around the league, Reaves built his reputation on physical play and the kind of edge that made opponents think twice. His highest penalty total came in 2013-14, when he piled up 126 minutes with the Blues.
His career hit another gear after a 2018 trade sent him to the Vegas Golden Knights. In four seasons there, Reaves posted the best offensive year of his career in 2018-19, finishing with nine goals and 20 points in his first full season in Las Vegas. Vegas later signed him to a two-year, $3.5 million extension in 2020.
That stretch in the desert also included a major setback. Reaves was suspended five games in the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs for an injury he caused to Colorado’s Ryan Graves.
He moved on to the New York Rangers ahead of the 2021-22 season and quickly made his presence felt again, leading the Blueshirts in hits by a wide margin. Rangers defenseman Adam Fox summed up the effect Reaves had on the group in 2021: “Having [Reaves] on the bench has everyone puff their chest out a little more,” Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said in 2021.
“We feel a little safer. He keeps other teams’ guys in check as well.
They know they can’t take liberties because they’ll have to answer to him. Having a guy like him allows everyone else to play a little bigger for sure.”
Over his final four seasons, Reaves bounced through the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks, settling into a bottom-six role. Even late in his career, the milestones kept coming: in January 2025, he played his 900th NHL game, becoming the 563rd player in league history to reach that mark.
Across 962 regular-season games with St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Vegas, the Rangers, Minnesota, Toronto and San Jose, Reaves finished with 66 goals and 74 assists. In 113 playoff games, he added nine points, including three goals and six assists.
“Today, I retire from the sport I’ve loved since I was 5 years old,” Reaves wrote. “It was a hell of a ride.
Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. There are too many to single out, so you’ll hear from me at some point.”
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