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

[Minnesota]

I've seen a lot of people criticizing this trade, but I actually really like what Reaves brings to the table, and I think Pittsburgh fans will come to enjoy him next season.

As a Wild fan who's played the Blues plenty of times to know, Reaves is a very tough guy to play against... And when I say that, I don't simply mean he's a "tough guy." He gets under the skin of opposing teams, distracts them, and allows his team to win games. I'd love a guy like him on the Wild.

I'm not familiar enough with the picks and prospects to say whether Pitssburgh overpaid, but I think Reaves is a valuable depth player. Exactly the type of player you need to three-peat.

 

[wej20]

Why would you not have reaves in a playoff game. A lot of people in here talking about a player they know nothing about it seems.

Because I'd expect to make a deadline acquisition (or a guy like Sprong cracking the lineup), Reaves would be the 12th forward ergo, the 1st one pushed out of the lineup.

 

[TT1]

i dont like him being in the East

 

[brewski420]

Because I'd expect to make a deadline acquisition (or a guy like Sprong cracking the lineup), Reaves would be the 12th forward ergo, the 1st one pushed out of the lineup.

I have a hard time believing that Reaves wasn't acquired specifically for the playoffs (not saying I agree with it) as well as regular season. Of course that is a long way off. A lot will happen between now and then.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I've seen a lot of people criticizing this trade, but I actually really like what Reaves brings to the table, and I think Pittsburgh fans will come to enjoy him next season.

As a Wild fan who's played the Blues plenty of times to know, Reaves is a very tough guy to play against... And when I say that, I don't simply mean he's a "tough guy." He gets under the skin of opposing teams, distracts them, and allows his team to win games. I'd love a guy like him on the Wild.

I'm not familiar enough with the picks and prospects to say whether Pitssburgh overpaid, but I think Reaves is a valuable depth player. Exactly the type of player you need to three-peat.

Sundqvist was basically going to be waiver fodder, so he was thrown into the deal.

Guys like Blueger and Rowney have passed him on the depth chart and he was out of the Pens plans.

However, I was really high on Sundqvist before Sullivan took over. He is a smart, big bodied guy with a little skill mixed in. I had him pegged as a poor man's Jordan Staal and the Pen's future third line pivot. Again, this was under DB/MJ systems, however.

His lack of foot speed is much more noticeable in Sullivan's system and he really struggled to keep up. So it became painfully apparent he was at best a fourth line pivot option for the Pens. With the way Blueger came on and looks like a much better fit, the writing was on the wall for Sundqvist's departure.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Question for Blues fans, is there a reason Reaves was used like he was or was it just due to Hitchcock being an idiot? He got nearly 3x as many defensive zone starts as offensive zone starts despite actually having pretty good advanced stats (mostly relative), but he was almost never used in purely a defensive role. Do you think he could hit 20 or 25 points on a 4th line if he's not being used 8 minutes a game while getting a billion defensive zone starts?

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Still furious about this.

I want players like Tom Wilson out of the ****ing league, not for my team to go out and acquire a variation of that mold

 

[KeepitinPitt]

Sounds like Reaves could be an upgrade over guys like Wilson, Kuhn, Rowney, and/or Archibald. I don't think they will be bumping him out of the lineup if he's as effective as Blues and rival Central fans are indicating. I'm still not thrilled that we dropped down 20 spots. You're essentially giving up the chance to draft Kostin, Timmins, Hague, Lind, Anderson-Dolan, etc. for a guy you'll likely have to replace at the end of the year. There's a pretty fair chance that any one of those prospects would have had a longer and potentially much greater impact on the organization. Getting the 51st helps but I don't buy that the drop in talent between those two picks is that insignificant.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Like I said yesterday, if it was just Sundqvist for Reaves, I would have been okay with this trade. Just 31 for Reaves and 51, I'd be fine with that. But both is just a payment you simply can't justify making.

 

[Toby Flenderson]

Like I said yesterday, if it was just Sundqvist for Reaves, I would have been okay with this trade. Just 31 for Reaves and 51, I'd be fine with that. But both is just a payment you simply can't justify making.

Well sundqvist is pretty bad, I would have traded him for like a 6th. And maybe the pens felt they didn't like the guys available at/around 31 so opted to trade down. On the surface it looks like a bad trade but it could turn out in our favor.

Bill belichek of the patriots is famous for trading down in the draft to acquire other picks/assets and the pats seem to do pretty well for them selves. I trust JR and Sullivan

 

[Hell Yeah!!!]

Still furious about this.

I want players like Tom Wilson out of the ****ing league, not for my team to go out and acquire a variation of that mold

How is the Tom Wilson out of the league campaign going?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

still can't believe reaves got a 1st

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

After sleeping on it I'm fine with the trade. Stepping back and looking at the big picture, it's more likely Reaves has a bigger impact on the pens than the difference between the 31st and 51st picks. Besides, after the last two years JR and Sullivan deserve 100% of the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Greaves]

Still furious about this.

I want players like Tom Wilson out of the ****ing league, not for my team to go out and acquire a variation of that mold

I read a report from a STL guy that said Reaves was playing 10-12 minutes in the playoffs. This was the article that justified STL protecting Reaves over Perron. At the end of the day, the refs don't do their job anymore (or ever) & we need some toughness. I watched way too many liberties taken with the Penguins. Not happy about the payment but come on it's 31st, which is a crapshoot in this weak draft. Also Sundqvist is just a whatever. We slid down 20 picks. Big deal.

 

[Greaves]

After sleeping on it I'm fine with the trade. Stepping back and looking at the big picture, it's more likely Reaves has a bigger impact on the pens than the difference between the 31st and 51st picks. Besides, after the last two years JR and Sullivan deserve 100% of the benefit of the doubt.

I'm with you.

 

[Spazkat]

I've seen a lot of people criticizing this trade, but I actually really like what Reaves brings to the table, and I think Pittsburgh fans will come to enjoy him next season.

As a Wild fan who's played the Blues plenty of times to know, Reaves is a very tough guy to play against... And when I say that, I don't simply mean he's a "tough guy." He gets under the skin of opposing teams, distracts them, and allows his team to win games. I'd love a guy like him on the Wild.

I'm not familiar enough with the picks and prospects to say whether Pitssburgh overpaid, but I think Reaves is a valuable depth player. Exactly the type of player you need to three-peat.

This pretty much. I've always been a big fan of Reaves. Aside from the Reaver and Tarasenko thing (which makes me sad they are apart now) this was one of my favorite Reaves moments. Blowing the kiss to the Dallas bench was pure gold

 

[Reality Czech]

Okay, I want Blues fans opinion on this. On a scale of 1 to 10, how skilled is Reaves? Like is he a -3 or like a 2 or a 4? Him being able to skate basically ensures he'll fit the system well enough, but he'll be a problem if he's Tanner Glass offensively.

If the Penguins get Cullen back, which I have a feeling is possible based on the Penguins trading Sundqvist, I think a Wilson-Cullen-Reaves 4th line could be very effective if Reaves isn't as skilled as a rock.

Hey guys, really enjoying this thread. Lots of interesting/amusing/enlightening reactions and it seems lots of Pens fans are having a hard time figuring it out. I'll add to the comments from other Blues fans in this thread by saying you are getting a very solid hockey player. Skates well, unstoppable when he's barreling into the corner, and seems pretty smart. Can't really remember him making any specific "bonehead" plays or key mistakes. He will be missed on our team for sure. I doubt you'll find a Blues fan who has many negative things to say about him. He does his job extremely well. And I'd say he's been steadily improving his overall game. Reaves is far from the prototypical talentless "goon" many Pens fans might be imagining.

Also, I had no problem with Reaves suiting up and taking shifts in the playoffs. Looking at his stats, he averaged over 9 mins this past playoffs and didn't look out of place. Our 4th line was really, really effective at times so I'm kind of sad to see it broken up. Love the return as a Blues fan it's bittersweet knowing #75 won't be on the team next year.

 

[wej20]

still can't believe reaves got a 1st

He didn't. More like a 2nd.

 

[LeafSteel]

Does this mean Subba will be safer next time he plays against Sid???

 

[Reality Czech]

Question for Blues fans, is there a reason Reaves was used like he was or was it just due to Hitchcock being an idiot? He got nearly 3x as many defensive zone starts as offensive zone starts despite actually having pretty good advanced stats (mostly relative), but he was almost never used in purely a defensive role. Do you think he could hit 20 or 25 points on a 4th line if he's not being used 8 minutes a game while getting a billion defensive zone starts?

Blues fans were getting pretty heated arguing about whether Reaves/Perron should have been protected. I was in the protect Reaves camp simply because our 4th line (Brodziak, Upshall, Reaves) was so effective. I would argue our 4th line was more important than our spare parts 3rd line(s) they kept putting out there. Hitch trusted them in almost any situation and Yeo did as well after he took over. However, their strength was putting pressure on the other team and shifting the momentum, and the occasional offense was more of a bonus. But at times, our 4th line could cycle and maintain possession in the O zone really effectively. Just didn't generate many prime scoring chances.

As for him being able to hit 20-25 points, that might be a bit optimistic but not impossible. He's not going to create his own chances, his shot is not very dangerous, so he'd need a creative playmaker to get more out of him offensively. That being said, Reaves never used to be a threat to score so he has improved considerably in that department. He's proven to be a hard worker and has gotten a bit better each year so maybe Reaves is capable of a bigger role than the one he had in STL.

 

[Muston Atthews]

Biggest bad ass in the league. I'd love him on the leafs. Not worth a first though

 

[ort]

Blues fan here... Pittsburgh, you're going to love Ryan Reeves. Seriously. He gives it his all every shift. He is huge and tough but plays a simple smart game. He's also an excellent skater. He's fast and he is one of the best hitters. He doesn't have a lot of high end hockey IQ or offensive upside, but he doesn't make a lot of bad mistakes. He knows what his job is as a 4th liner and he performs it to a T. Get the puck in deep. Hit people. Make them chase it and fight for it. Get a face off. That's what he does. He's also a ferocious fighter. He's so good at it, that no one will even fight him anymore. He's a beast.

He's also hilarious. He he's super popular with the players, fans, media and community. He gives great interviews. No canned answers from him. He has a lot of charisma and is always having fun. Seriously, you guys will love him and I'm going to miss him.

This was an overpayment for sure, and I'm okay with the return, but it still stings. My hope is the blues resign him when he hits free agency.

 

[SirPaste]

Pens fans are going to love Reaves

 

[MoeBartoli]

Lol, yes he is. Sestito is the definition of a plug. Reaves can actually keep up in the play and catch someone like Dubinsky, Wilson, etc. Sestito didn't have the speed or hockey play to actually cause damage. Reaves does. Yeesh

Worse than a Plug. Goon would be too nice a word for him. Sestito belongs in jail, not on the ice.

 

[TheDizee]

Question for Blues fans, is there a reason Reaves was used like he was or was it just due to Hitchcock being an idiot? He got nearly 3x as many defensive zone starts as offensive zone starts despite actually having pretty good advanced stats (mostly relative), but he was almost never used in purely a defensive role. Do you think he could hit 20 or 25 points on a 4th line if he's not being used 8 minutes a game while getting a billion defensive zone starts?

nope.