A former Toronto Maple Leafs veteran is nearing the age of 40, but he’s not ready to call it a career just yet.
Ryan Reaves, who will turn 40 years old in January and played for the Maple Leafs during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, is making it clear he’s not ready for retirement. While appearing on TSN’s First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovio on Thursday, the veteran right winger said he’d like to play during his age-40 season. If he were to do so, he would have a chance at playing 1,000 career NHL games. He’s currently at 939 games.
“I mean, playing 1,000 games in the NHL is an honor for sure, especially in the role that I’ve played,” Reaves said. “I’ve been training all summer already, and (my) body’s holding up pretty well. I just think I’ve got one more left in the tank. I think as I came into the league and the older guys have given me advice, one (piece of) advice that has been consistent throughout all of them is play as long as you possibly can.”
Ryan Reaves Aiming to Play at 40 Years Old This Season
Reaves played 50 games for the San Jose Sharks last season, but he had an underwhelming stat line with just three goals and 0 assists in 50 games played. He had spent two of the prior seasons with the Maple Leafs after inking a three-year deal with them, but he produced just four goals and four assists in 84 games played. The Maple Leafs traded him to the Sharks during last year’s offseason.
Only 425 players in NHL history have played 1,000 career games, meaning Reaves would join exclusive company. He makes it clear how important that is for him and said that once your career is over, “it’s over.”
“Because when it’s over, it’s over, and you’re going to miss it,” said Reaves. “You don’t have regrets of, ‘I could have played one more year, and I shouldn’t have shut it down.’ So I don’t want to have that regret. I think one more year would be fun. And, you know, to say I played at 40 would also be kind of fun, too.”
Ryan Reaves Would Be One of Just a Few NHL Players Over 40 Years Old
Three players played in the NHL last season at age 40: Alex Ovechkin, Corey Perry and Brent Burns. All three will return this season and will be joined by Evgeni Malkin, who will be turning 40 years old entering this season.
Reaves has never been a star like those aforementioned players, which is why he may face an uphill battle in making it onto a roster for the 2026-27 season. He may have to play on a training camp deal or even play on a minor league affiliate.
He has 65 goals and 74 assists over the course of his NHL career since starting it out with the St. Louis Blues during the 2010-11 season.
It’s clear that Reaves’ objective is to play at age 40 and accomplish a rare feat of playing 1,000 NHL career games. We’ll see if a team is willing to give him that opportunity.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Maple Leafs’ Former 39-Year-Old Veteran Sends Direct Message About NHL Future appeared first on HEAVY.