As we near the end of July, free-agent news becomes much lighter. However, last week, NHL forward and noted enforcer Ryan Reaves made some of it. In a Vince Carter-esque declaration, Reaves declared that he’s still good for one more NHL season. In an interview with the “First Up” program on Toronto’s TSN 1050, Reaves said that he feels like he has “one more left in the tank,” as far as campaigns go.
At first glance, this seems like something that would have no impact on the Edmonton Oilers. Reaves is 39, simply trying to reach a big milestone before he retires, and he offers little outside of truculence. Like with many things, though, context is key. And the deeper you dive into the profiles of both Reaves and the Oilers, the more it makes sense that Edmonton could be the city where Reaves is feted for reaching 1,000 games played. This after two were celebrated here last season.
How compatible are these two sides? And what needs to happen for this scenario to become reality? Shocking as it may be to some, it’s a real possibility, so let’s get into it.
Veteran players, especially with playoff experience, are valuable to a dressing room
Reaves, to this point in his career, has not yet won a Stanley Cup. He has, however, played in a bunch of Stanley Cup Playoff games. This includes trips to the Western Conference Final in 2016 with his original team, the St. Louis Blues, and to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Part of what makes a team truly great is having a lot of experience on their roster. The Oilers, in recent years, have added guys like Mattias Ekholm, Corey Perry, and Adam Henrique for their experiences with runs to the Final. Almost every time, it proves to be quite valuable.
Reaves’s abilities at this stage in his career are limited. No doubt, signing him would be a pure “grit and intangibles” move. Although it can’t be quantified by stats, intangibles are an important category to have a high score in. It’s already helped the Oilers out in recent seasons, so why not add one more player with that experience and passion?
The Oilers are inexplicably their dominant 1980’s selves when a player fights
Over the past few seasons, the Oilers have experienced a weird phenomenon. Whenever an Oiler fights in a game, they seemingly never lose. This especially was prominent in 2024–25, despite the likes of Zack Kassian being retired and Evander Kane being injured. Perry alone got into multiple fights that year, and the Oilers won virtually every time.
Beyond the Fight Club, of which the first rule is we don’t talk about the Fight Club, Reaves can be useful. Edmonton was much too easy to play against last year, as only Vasily Podkolzin ranked high on the NHL’s hits leaderboard. Only four players registered a triple-digit number of hits on the season. While hitting isn’t everything in hockey, there’s reasons why teams that win the Cup have to be great at it.
Reaves can hit, and Reaves can fight. He can offer exactly what the Oilers need in limited time-on-ice. As a bonus, pair him with Colton Dach and Trent Frederic, and plenty of opposing teams are going to need extra post-game ice packs. A major gap in last year’s game will be filled perfectly.
Reaves is a better option as an extra forward than a developing AHL player
One might wonder about calling up an AHL player, rather than digging deep into the free-agent market, for the 13th forward position. Maybe someone like Mattias Janmark becomes that guy, even. Well, that’s not how NHL coaches think, though we are allowed to debate the merits as observers.
Janmark has earned hefty trust of coaches, dating back to Jay Woodcroft’s tenure. Kris Knoblauch turned that trust knob up to 11, and Janmark would have been a regular last season if not for injury. Chances are he likely curries some favour, at least initially, from Mike Babcock to stay in the lineup.
The AHL youngsters should not be fourth-liners or 13th forwards, either. That’s a sure way to ruin their development, and in the case of Dylan Holloway, make them want to leave. And with veteran head coaches like Babcock, it’s never a guarantee that the depth youngsters will get a fair shake.
Reaves buys all the kids one more season of marinating in the AHL, while the Oilers chase the Cup. They can come up next year, when Reaves, Janmark, and Kasperi Kapanen are free agents. The 2026–27 season just isn’t profiling to be the right year for their transitions to full-time NHLers.
The cost would be as minimal as it gets, maintaining the healthy cap sheet
Players don’t come for free, in the NHL. Some get signed for, as a wise old General Manager once said, “too long and too much money.” Others have to be traded for, which costs talent and draft capital.
Reaves would not fit either profile. Almost certainly, if he plays one last season, it’s on a league-minimum contract. Remember, he’s chasing a milestone, not one final payday necessarily. And he comes at no cost to the Oilers’ talent pipeline.
Even if the Oilers have to go the 2023 Sam Gagner route, and give him a PTO before he earns a full contract, it’s still worth it in the end. Vladimir Tarasenko sounds like a nice get and all, but Reaves will cost less than Tarasenko. And he just might be the missing link the Oilers need to finally get over the hump, and win it all.
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