Ryan Reaves talks some smack in his return to Toronto

Veteran forward Ryan Reaves makes his return to Toronto this evening when his San Jose Sharks take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And while Reaves says he isn't holding any grudges against his former team, it's clear that he's not happy with how things played out at the end of his time in Toronto.

“They basically said that I couldn’t play in this league anymore,” Reaves told reporters inside Scotiabank Arena’s earlier today. “And I’m back.”

To be clear, Reaves has played 25 games for the Sharks this season and has two points to go along with three fighting majors. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't necessarily count two goals and three fights as some sort of "I'm back" moral victory, but I digress...

Reaves spoke glowingly of his former teammates in Toronto, but did throw some shade at the team's coaching and management staff a bit.

 “I mean, it’s always fun playing against your buddies, and you never want to lose against them, so they’re always a little more special for you. But I’ve done it many times.

“I enjoyed my time here. It was a great experience. The guys I met on this team will hopefully be friends forever, and I’ve met some really good people on this team and in the city.”

There’s a but coming ...

“It’s a business, and sometimes business doesn’t go the way you want it to. I think things could’ve been handled a little differently with me, just a little more upfront honesty,” Reaves continued.

Reaves was waived by the Leafs ahead of the 2025 trade deadline and sent to the AHL for the first time in over a decade. It's clear that that miffed him a bit.

“Just some upfront honesty of what was going on with my situation and the trade deadline thing was a little frustrating for me,” Reaves said. 

“But, again, I don’t hold any grudges. Business is business. And I’ve been on the good side of it. I’ve been on the bad side of it.”

Shifting away from Toronto, Reaves spoke about how much he has enjoyed his time in San Jose and how much easier it is playing in his new team's environment compared to the fishbowl effect that he faced in Toronto.

“It’s hard to describe. I just feel a little bit more myself here. In Toronto, it’s a little more corporate. You got people hovering over you all the time. You do an interview in Toronto, and they’re running down saying, ‘Hey, don’t say this.’ It’s like, ‘Well, then you do the interview.’ Here, they don’t come tell me what to do,” Reaves previously told Spittin’ Chiclets.

“I just feel like I’m a little freer to be myself here. Everything’s a bit more comfortable. When you’re comfortable, you play better. You have more fun. That’s just how it is.”

In the end, Reaves is just happy to be back in the NHL and he has turned the page on his tumultuous chapter in Toronto.

“I guess I look at it as I ended up in San Jose, where they let me play and let me help these young kids, and it’s been a fun role for me. It’s been fun helping these young guys, kind of being a leader for them."