We’re now just 75 days away from the San Jose Sharks hosting the Florida Panthers to kick off the 2026-27 season on October 1.
The most recent, and likely most relevant, player to wear the number 75 for the Sharks was Ryan Reaves.
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A journeyman enforcer, Reaves started his career with the St. Louis Blues after being selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Draft. He spent three seasons at the American Hockey League level, and even had a stint in the ECHL, before making his NHL debut with the Blues during the 2010-11 season. While he split time between the NHL and AHL that season, he became a full-time NHLer, except for a lockout stint in the ECHL, beginning in the 2011-12 season.
Reaves remained in St. Louis through the 2016-17 season, then was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of the 2017-18 campaign. He only spent 58 games in Pittsburgh before he was on the move again, this time to the Vegas Golden Knights. During this time, he became despised by Sharks fans for his physical, tough style of play as well as his rivalry with then-Shark Evander Kane.
After three seasons with Vegas, Reaves had stints with the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and finally the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his time in Toronto, he was sent down to the AHL for the first time in a decade and a half, and his career seemed like it may be coming to an end.
Then, in the summer of 2025, Reaves was traded to the Sharks in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun. While his reputation from Vegas remained, it didn’t take long for him to move from a hated figure to a fan favorite player for his off-ice contributions to the young team. While his on-ice play was still oft-criticized, his leadership role was massively valuable to a team looking to move out of a rebuild.
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Currently, Reaves remains an unrestricted free agent, and it’s unknown if his playing career will continue. The Sharks did have talks to bring him back for a second season, but the signing of Mason Marchment put an end to those discussions.
Whether it’s on the ice, behind a bench, or in a press box as a broadcaster, it seems fair to see that we’ve yet to see the last of Ryan Reaves in the NHL.
Daniil Gushchin, Danil Yuraykin, and Freddie Hamilton also wore the number 75 for the Sharks.
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