Confirmed Trade: [PIT/STL] Ryan Reaves and 51st pick to Pittsburgh for Sundqvist and 31st pick

[Riptide]

I would have gladly offered Foligno and #54 for #31. Foligno was one of the league leaders in hits, can drop the gloves, is very physical and unlike Reaves can actually hit double digit goals. Much younger too.

I'm sure you would have... But I'd take Reaves over Foligno every day of the week...

 

[Riptide]

Post-whistle stuff mainly. Can also be used for wearing down opposing teams in a series. If JR strictly wanted a fighter or someone who threw a lot of hits there were cheaper options.

No other option skates as fast, hits as hard, or shows as much fire at the NHL level.

Of which Sullivan has repeatedly said that he wants them to ignore and skate away. Sure it'll be great to see Ovechkin and company and the Blue Jackets end up on their ***** after Reaves trucks them. But I don't think it's going to change much.

 

[Chuck Downie]

This thread is hilarious. Will be revisiting for sure.

 

[MoeManthaMustache]

Let's at least get the terms right here,

The Penguins moved down 20+ spots in a weaker draft, and traded a guy who was falling on their depth charts.

Everything I've read from former players to the Blues GM rave about Reeves and what he's worked on the past year or so.

I have no doubt Sullivan sees something he can use.

I get the feeling lots of people are going to come back here and edit their posts when it's all said and done.

 

[412 Others]

when bobby ryan challenged sid and said "there's not a guy on that bench". right about that time... that's when the reaves decision was made. when bobby ryan gets ballsy you know there's a big problem.

 

[gdsmack267]

While im not a huge fan of giving up assets for a 4th liner it basically comes down to them giving up a prospect who still has question marks and moving back 20 spots in a weak draft. It's not the end of the world.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I think people assume that Reaves is a goon that can't play, but he's acutally a good 4th line possession forward as well that can cycle, forecheck, etc.

 

[SCPens]

I'm fairly confident foligno could truck kunitz, start the fight...horny could be third man in and foligno would still pump kunitz with the right and horn his left and come out on top.

Yeah well I'm absolutely confident that Reaves would put foligno into next week in a matter of seconds. Or atleast up to the press box....you sure your guy's still in the league? Don't hear much about foligno anymore. His big brother's still around, that much I know...

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Getting pretty tired of reading complaints from some Pens fans who are ignorant of Reaves, badmouthing him as a goon. It was an overpayment, but he is not some plug. Even if he had zero fights, he would still fill a valuable role and bring something to the Penguins. He's fast, intelligent, great on the forecheck and the cycle and is not going to be a liability in any situation. His line was a stong possession line that could generate scoring chances and at worst would make the other team have to work hard for a minute and fear the physical toll. I have no doubt he's going to win over that team and fanbase very quickly. I also strongly suspect that some of the core players on the team have asked for something like this.

 

[Oberyn]

The fact that pretty much every Blues fan has only good things to say about Reaves should tell you how valued he was on our hockey club. The price the Pens paid was a bit of an overpayment, but I don't think they will be disappointed with his performance, both on and off the ice, once the season begins.

 

[67Blues]

Blues will take Reaves back and send you Jaskin or Paajarvi. Would that make you all happier?

 

[Johnny Utah]

If you want the top fighter in the league and a guy who can play this is your guy. Kings play Blues a bunch of times a year and he's been a thorn in our side. Knocked down Clifford, elbow on Kopitar, throws big hits every game. He is kind of a heavyweight agitator. Always stirring it up after the whistle. The last Blues game of the year Iginla and him were yapping back and forth.

 

[Bye Felicia]

I think it's telling that Blues fans are unanimously praising Reaves. We're not looking at this with blue-tinted goggles; he truly was a fan favorite here.

None of us are arguing that this wasn't an overpayment. We are thrilled to have picked up Kostin in return. But some of the comparisons here are ridiculous and are clearly being made by people who have not watched Ryan Reaves play.

It's true that he brings little offense, and we can have a legitimate argument as to whether he was a necessary addition to a Cup-winning team, but the truth is (1) he can skate; (2) he is not a dirty player; and (3) he doesn't take many bad penalties.

There is no doubt that Reaves is a player in the vein of a traditional fourth liner (though one of the best in that mold in the NHL), but he also is, in alignment with the philosophies of many teams, cognizant of the changes in the game. He had a really good quote last year in which he mentioned that while in the past, if he had the choice of getting the puck or dishing out a big hit, he would always go for the big hit, but that now, he instead focuses on getting the puck.

We loved watching him with the Blues, and he will be missed.

 

[Coastal Kev]

I think people assume that Reaves is a goon that can't play, but he's acutally a good 4th line possession forward as well that can cycle, forecheck, etc.

Shhhhh.... doesn't fit the narrative

 

[WayneSid9987]

when bobby ryan challenged sid and said "there's not a guy on that bench". right about that time... that's when the reaves decision was made. when bobby ryan gets ballsy you know there's a big problem.

Exactly.
What irked me throughout the season were the smaller or more skilled non-tough guys feeling 10 feet tall vs PIT. It drove me nuts.

Alot of the teams in the league, even most if not all the top ones have some sort of Reaves type element that either plays regularly or that they can plug into their lineup. PIT had none. So JR went out and added the one element he was missing and he got one of the best at that particular element.

I also don't see him playing as much as he did in STL. He skated 80 RS games and 11 PO games. PIT most likely carries 14 F's most, if not all of the year on the roster.
The #12-14 in no particular order right now is Wilson, Reaves, Kuhnackl. Could see JR possibly moving Kuhnackl at some point as well with speedier 2-way options on the farm. (Archibald, Bleugers, etc.)

Slight overpay by JR but he really wanted that element.

 

[DatDude44]

I think people are misinterpreting the trade. It wasn't reaves for a 1st, it was reaves to make up the 20 pick difference between #51 and #31.... I think the worst part of the deal for pit is the fact they drafted Zachary Lauzon with the pick lol.

Reaves will provide more than an archibald will and i think with the way pitt is built having a guy like reaves could be helpful in letting their stars just worry about playing and avoiding possible cheap shots that could lead to possible long term injuries.

I think in the end because of Kostin being available at #31 I think the blues win this trade big time value wise and down the road, but for the present, I think this will be very helpful for pit as they go for the 3-peat

 

[Dying Alive]

I think people are misinterpreting the trade. It wasn't reaves for a 1st, it was reaves to make up the 20 pick difference between #51 and #31.... I think the worst part of the deal for pit is the fact they drafted Zachary Lauzon with the pick lol.

Reaves will provide more than an archibald will and i think with the way pitt is built having a guy like reaves could be helpful in letting their stars just worry about playing and avoiding possible cheap shots that could lead to possible long term injuries.

I think in the end because of Kostin being available at #31 I think the blues win this trade big time value wise and down the road, but for the present, I think this will be very helpful for pit as they go for the 3-peat

I don't hate the trade or think it's that big a deal that the Pens traded down, but Archibald is a pretty good player and fits Pittsburgh's speed game perfectly. He's actually a much better fit than Reaves for the way the team is built, which is why people are having such a problem with this I think.

As far as Lauzon I'm not worried about that either, they've hit a lot more than missed recently in terms of drafting and signing undrafted players. Obviously they see something in him.

 

[Mrs Crosby's Dryer]

Thank you to all of the Blues fans for interjecting common sense into this embarrassingly silly little hissy fit that's being thrown on here.

Bottom line is Reaves is some of exactly what we needed (and our stars, Sid/Letang et al, have publicly stated they are more comfortable with having on the roster), is a legit solid 4th line player, that we gave up very little organizationally to acquire, still drafted the player that we wanted at the position that we moved to, and most importantly - all of which was orchestrated by the man who led us to back to back cups.

I'm not seeing why this is such a thing.

Edit: In case it wasn't obvious, I think this was a fantastic trade. Hopefully we get a tough crease clearing 7th D-man, but regardless, this is something this team has needed for years. We won back to back cups in spite of not having toughness, not because of the fact that we didn't.

 

[Riptide]

I don't hate the trade or think it's that big a deal that the Pens traded down, but Archibald is a pretty good player and fits Pittsburgh's speed game perfectly. He's actually a much better fit than Reaves for the way the team is built, which is why people are having such a problem with this I think.

As far as Lauzon I'm not worried about that either, they've hit a lot more than missed recently in terms of drafting and signing undrafted players. Obviously they see something in him.

The thing is... Archibald doesn't change anything. He's like Wilson in that regard. Nice to have as he's fast, his hands are not stone and he hits everything that moves... but he doesn't hit like Kunitz used to and he doesn't hit like Reaves does.

 

[Hobodrifter]

The thing is... Archibald doesn't change anything. He's like Wilson in that regard. Nice to have as he's fast, his hands are not stone and he hits everything that moves... but he doesn't hit like Kunitz used to and he doesn't hit like Reaves does.

Agreed, not sure how Archibald can be viewed as more impactful than Reaves apart from being a bit faster.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

when bobby ryan challenged sid and said "there's not a guy on that bench". right about that time... that's when the reaves decision was made. when bobby ryan gets ballsy you know there's a big problem.

Thats it right there

 

[Tryblot]

As much as they may have been an overpayment for Reaves, I really don't believe you get him for anything less.

 

[Shoofyou10]

Let's at least get the terms right here,

The Penguins moved down 20+ spots in a weaker draft, and traded a guy who was falling on their depth charts.

Everything I've read from former players to the Blues GM rave about Reeves and what he's worked on the past year or so.

I have no doubt Sullivan sees something he can use.

I get the feeling lots of people are going to come back here and edit their posts when it's all said and done.

This is the correct way to look at this trade. I was not in favor of trading for an enforcer in general. But since GMJR did, this trade is nothing to be mad about if you are a Pens fan.

They moved down 20 picks and gave up prospect that didnt have a ton of upside of a 4th line winger. Hardly breaking the bank. What the team does at 3C and defense is much more important.

Also, all the Pens fans complaining will be the first ones to cheer when Reaves wins a fight or lays a big hit. This is a town that loved guys like Ulf Sammuelson, Kasparitis, and Matt Cooke.

Any time there is a trade made I always listen to what the fans of the team you made the trade with because they are the ones that follow closely and The Blues fans seem to love Reaves and are sad to see him go. And that's good enough for me.

 

[Grimlore]

Once some of these PIT fans see Reaves in on the forecheck and the other team's Dman throws the puck up the boards hastily while getting crushed... They will see you traded for him.

There is a good reason other teams in the Central are happy he is gone. I'm going to miss that element that he brought to our games. Who cares if they dealt a first rounder - PIT has generational talent in their prime right now. Protect them and win as many cups as you can while they are healthy.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Yeah well I'm absolutely confident that Reaves would put foligno into next week in a matter of seconds. Or atleast up to the press box....you sure your guy's still in the league? Don't hear much about foligno anymore. His big brother's still around, that much I know...

Foligno was one of the leaders in hits. Reaves is a trash hockey player be real man. Foligno is a bottom 6 winger but is a far better hockey player then ryan reaves. Foligno had as many goals as reaves had points he had more hits and is four years younger. Asking if foligno is still in the league is just ignorance