Ryan Reaves plays a unique role for the Vegas Golden Knights but he could find himself used as the sacrificial lamb at the Trade Deadline.
It is no secret that the Vegas Golden Knights will be buyers at the Deadline as they look to acquire a puck-moving defenseman and maybe some secondary scoring for down the stretch and for the postseason.
However, with just over $1 million in cap space to play with, the Knights will be restricted in who they can go after in order to bolster this roster.
Therefore, the front office will have to move some contracts first and there are three players that have emerged as prime candidates:
- Nick Holden (D)
- Cody Eakin (F)
- Ryan Reaves (F)
All three are playing on expiring contracts and all three are carrying cap hits that are arguably more substantial than the roles they play.
And the most interesting player of that trio is Ryan Reaves, who has become a cult figure for the Golden Knights since they traded for the enforcer from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 26, 2018.
Reaves is a hugely popular figure both on and off the ice and he plays a unique role on the ice, while being able to chip in with some offense from the fourth-line.
Trading Reaves would be a necessary evil but the 33-year-old is a dying breed in the National Hockey League, so it would no doubt be a complicated decision for the Knights.
As such, we decided to run through the pros and cons of the Vegas Golden Knights trading Ryan Reaves at the Trade Deadline…