Ryan Reaves gets brutally honest about pressure in Toronto after being traded by Maple Leafs - "Everybody's just afraid to talk"

Ryan Reaves spoke openly about the pressure of playing in Toronto. In the second week of July, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him to the San Jose Sharks, a rebuilding team around their 2024 first pick, Macklin Celebrini.

Speaking on "The Leafs Nation" podcast on Monday, he said fans in Toronto care deeply.

"Toronto is a hockey mecca of the world, and you're going to have both sides of it," Reaves said. "You're going to have people that love you for playing for the team and appreciate everything you do, whether it's good or bad. And they just love you because you play there. "And then, you're gonna have the Twitter heroes that are sitting in their mom's basement chirping every single move and every single word that you say, right? That's just the nature of the beast. And playing in a big market."

Ryan Reaves accepted that it comes with playing in a hockey city like Toronto. He added that people will always share their opinions, so it's up to the players to learn to handle this.

"Toronto, just the hockey mecca of the world," Reaves said. "People are going to have their opinions. And everybody's just afraid to talk however they want to talk."

Now, Reaves will play for the San Jose Sharks, the team that acquired him from Toronto by sending defenseman Henry Thrun. Sharks GM Mike Grier praised Reaves’ toughness and energy after the trade.

"We’re excited to welcome Ryan to the organization," Grier said, via NHL.com. "He will bring energy, personality, physical play and toughness to our group."

Despite the trade, Reaves had good memories from Toronto. He said it was one of the best-run teams he played for, and appreciated the friendships he made

Ryan Reaves's statement on Mitch Marner's trade from Toronto

Previously, Ryan Reaves spoke about Mitch Marner during his appearance on the "Cam and Strick" podcast. He said Marner earned the right to leave Toronto if he wants, because he gave his best to the team for many years.

"Mitchie earned the right to go wherever he wants. He's dedicated a lot of his career to Toronto," Reaves said about Marner's trade to Vegas. "(Marner was) a hometown guy. He's poured everything he had into it. Sometimes, it's just time to move on."

The comment came before Ryan Reaves was traded. Some people thought the trade was linked to what he said. However, Reaves denied this and said the deal was already happening after his AHL demotion.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.