912-game Maple Leafs enforcer teases potential retirement timeline with dream of Stanley Cup success - "Don't think I can make it past two more years"

Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves reflected on his mindset for the upcoming season, expressing his strong desire to continue playing for Toronto. He is 88 games shy of reaching 1,000 regular season NHL games, a milestone he hopes to achieve in the next two years before retiring.

Reaves acknowledged that he doesn’t see himself playing beyond that timeframe but is motivated to reach the milestone, viewing it as a significant accomplishment for a player with his physical, enforcer-style role.

"I still want to play. I'm 83 games from a thousand right now," Reaves said during Tuesday's episode of the "Cam and Strick" podcast (2:05:52 onwards). "I would love to be able to hold on for another two years and hit that, then ride into the sunset. I don't think I can make it past two more years, but I would love to get that," Reaves said.

His ultimate goal remains winning the Stanley Cup, which he prioritizes above all else. He sees achieving both a Stanley Cup and 1,000 games as the ideal way to cap his career.

"The dream is always the Stanley Cup...for a player who plays like me, I think it'd be a pretty cool accomplishment. Stanley Cup, thousand games — in that order. I’d love the opportunity to try and get it.

Ryan Reaves is currently under a three-year, $4.05 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, signed in 2023. His contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Reaves has been with the Leafs for the last two seasons. Overall, he has played in 912 games over his 15-year NHL career.

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Ryan Reaves labels Evander Kane as more talk than action

Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane have been rivals since their days with the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, respectively.

They fought for the first time during a Round 1 Game 3 playoff matchup in 2019, with Reaves seemingly overpowering Kane. On the podcast, Reaves described Kane as someone who talks a big game but fails to follow through.

The Maple Leafs' enforcer claimed Kane repeatedly threatened to dominate him in a fight but only engaged when a referee was nearby to intervene.

"He chirps too much," Reaves said. "I think it started early in our career when he always said he'd beat me up. That was what he always loved to tell me. "I would kill you. I would kill you." But then would never fight unless there was a ref right there."

Meanwhile, Evander Kane was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in June after spending three years with the Edmonton Oilers.