Reaves Denies Trade from Leafs Tied to Marner Comments

Ryan Reaves has denied any link between his trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs and his appearance on the Cam and Strick Podcast, where he made comments that received backlash in Toronto. Saying it had “nothing to do with that,” Reaves smirked and noted the timing of his trade being 24 hours after the podcast dropped was just a coincidence.

DROPPING MONDAY on Leafs Morning Take.. ?

Ryan Reaves addresses his @CamandStrick appearance head on ?

And no, he wasn't traded because he talked up SIN CITY to Mitch Marner: pic.twitter.com/ixXKWFrP6E

— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) July 17, 2025

Reaves asked what it was specifically they were talking about on the Leafs Morning Take show, and Nick Alberge referenced some of the backlash regarding his Mitch Marner comments. Among them, Reaves said the fans were too hard on Marner in Toronto, and he admitted talking up Vegas to Marner as a great place to play and live. Many believed his advocacy for the Golden Knights was part of the reason Marner jumped ship.

Reaves denied his trade to San Jose having anything to do with those comments.

Since then, the Maple Leafs have conducted other business. On Thursday, they traded for Dakota Joshua from Vancouver, who is also a physical player, but will be a regular in the lineup and perform well in the playoffs. Joshua is a rare combination of physicality and skill, whereas Reaves didn’t really bring the skill.

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Whether the Leafs decided to ship Reaves out because of his comments may never really be known, but Reaves isn’t budging. Publicly, he doesn’t believe the two things were linked, and it’s been said that he told the organization quite some time ago that, if they could find a trade, he would be open to moving on.

Next: Canucks Pivot Quickly After Joshua Deal, Pursue Leafs UFA Target