Right winger Ryan Reaves announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday after 16 seasons in which he became one of the league's most familiar gritty forwards. The 39-year-old Reaves announced his retirement on Instagram, ending a career that began with the Blues in 2010. Reaves was selected by St.

Drafted by St. Louis in the fifth round (No. 156 overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft, Reaves, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, played over three seasons, predominantly for the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL, before breaking into the NHL. He made his Blues debut during the 2010-11 campaign, skating in 28 games with two goals, two assists, 78 penalty minutes and eight fights.

In his NHL career, Reaves suited up for 962 regular-season games with seven different teams: Blues, Penguins, Golden Knights, Rangers, Wild, Maple Leafs and Sharks. He scored 66 goals, 74 assists, 140 points with 1137 penalty minutes and 94 regular-season fights.

Reaves was a St. Louis native and played seven seasons and appeared in 419 games with the Blues. He led the Blues in penalty minutes five times and finished with 48 fighting majors. 

He later went to Pittsburgh, Vegas, New York, Minnesota, Toronto and San Jose. 

His best offensive year was his first in Vegas in 2018-19 when he scored a career-high 20 points.

He scored nine points (three goals, six assists) over his career in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing in 113 games. His last stint in the playoffs was in 2018, when he had two points, both goals, in 10 games and scored the deciding goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, against the Winnipeg Jets.

Reaves' last season in the NHL was spent with the Sharks, where he suited up in 50 contests and scored three goals. His last game was on March 21, 2026, against the Philadelphia Flyers. During the first period of the 4-1 loss for the Sharks, Reaves sustained an injury in a fight against the Flyers' Garrett Wilson. Reaves took another shift but did not re-enter the game for the remainder of the contest.

Written by

Lakshya