No doubt, Ryan Reaves knows his role.

“They definitely didn’t sign me for my goal-scoring,” the San Jose Sharks’ new enforcer joked on Friday afternoon.

Instead, the 38-year-winger, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Henry Thrun, will be expected, as GM Mike Grier put it, to make “everyone on the bench feel a little bit taller and puff their chests out a little bit.”

Whether you subscribe to the intangible value of the enforcer or not, Grier believes in it.

“I’m excited to run around, draw some energy for those guys, protect them when I have to, and have some fun with them,” Reaves said.

The gregarious Reaves spoke on what went wrong with the Leafs, his view of the Vegas Golden Knights-San Jose Sharks’ rivalry, the unusual way that he found out about the trade, and his career goals right now.

Ryan Reaves, on when he found out about the trade:

I found out two minutes before I was walking into a signing, actually. I was going to Top Golf to do a signing for the charity thing we do out here [in Las Vegas]. But yeah, I’m really excited. Obviously, the way things ended in Toronto wasn’t exactly how I wanted, so I think it was time to move on. I’m happy that [Brad Treliving] in Toronto found a spot for me, and couldn’t be more happy to be in San Jose.

Reaves, on the bad blood between he and the San Jose Sharks over the years, and if he ever thought that he’d wear teal:

What history? I don’t even know what you’re talking about. No, definitely not. I think it’s good that there was a little buffer in between to let that cool off a little. There’s a few teams over the years that I would have said I probably never would have gone to just because of the rivalries that were going on. Chicago, when I played in St. Louis, and probably San Jose from my days in Vegas, but the little buffer in between—the four or five years—definitely helped that.

Reaves, on whether moving to another team was discussed with Brad Treliving:

I told him at the end of the year that I thought that this wasn’t obviously a good fit. I’m assuming he probably thought the same after putting me on waivers and sending me to the minors, and just thought it was kind of time to part ways. I think we both agreed that it was that time in my [exit] meeting. It took a little bit of work, obviously, with the Draft and everything going on, but I’m glad it got done sooner than later.

Reaves, on what he wants to bring San Jose Sharks fans “on his side”:

I want to bring what I brought to Vegas when I played against you guys: energy, physicality, sticking up for teammates, getting energy going any way it can, whether it’s a fight or whatever.

Off-ice, just being a veteran voice—it’s a young team, obviously, a lot of young, really good skill. I feel like every locker room needs somebody a little bit older, somebody who’s been through playoffs and been through the grind for as long as I have. I just want to help out those young guys any way I can.

Reaves, on whether the idea of protecting a younger roster makes San Jose more exciting:

Absolutely. I mean, they definitely didn’t sign me for my goal-scoring. I’m excited to run around, draw some energy for those guys, protect them when I have to, and have some fun with them, obviously. I think it’s gonna be a great, great opportunity for me.

Reaves, on if Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky have set any expectations for him in San Jose:

I spoke very briefly with both of them. Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts. I’m probably going to sit down with those guys when I get down to San Jose and talk a little bit more. I don’t know if there’s a ton to talk about—I know my role, and I know what I need to bring to that team, but obviously they’re going to have their thoughts too, and I’m very open to hearing them. I spoke to both of them.

Reaves, on whether being on a younger team changes his role at all compared to previous teams:

I mean, it doesn’t matter who you’re sticking up for—it doesn’t matter what age they are, if you’re my teammate, I’m gonna stick up for you. Whether you’re a 35-year-old vet or you’re an 18-year-old kid, I don’t think that really changes anything.

Reaves, on if this was the weirdest timing of finding out about a trade for him:

It was a little weird timing, especially because I’m sure Vegas fans don’t love San Jose. Having to break that to them was probably a little weird, but hey, that’s the business.

Reaves, on what made last season in Toronto challenging:

I think there was just a lack of trust very early in the season. It just looked like I had one bad game, and I was out of the line-up for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, games. I’d come back in, have a good game, but get taken right back out—I just really could never gain any momentum with my game. I couldn’t really get any traction, and it’s hard to play like that. It’s hard to play when you’re only playing every five or six games. They didn’t see a fit for me in the line-up, and it is what it is—that’s also part of the business.

Reaves, on his excitement about joining the roster in San Jose and gaining the trust of the coaching staff:

I’m really excited. Everybody’s said to me, “Oh, I can’t believe you’re going to San Jose.” I go where anybody wants me and anybody who wants me, I’m excited to do whatever I can for that team and that organization. I’m excited to get down there.

Reaves, on what he’ll remember most about Toronto:

I think the guys that I met there. I feel like I made some lifelong friends there. That’s got to be the No. 1 for me. Toronto is a first-class organization. I’ve been in some really good organizations, Toronto just treats their players—I don’t know what it is, just a little bit extra, you know? I think that comes with the standard of putting a winning team on the ice, but I think No. 1 is just all the guys that I made friends with.

Reaves, on what stood out to him about the broken-up core four in Toronto:

How hard they work. I mean, when I got there two years ago, and you’re doing kind of those skates before training camp starts, and you’re just kind of scrimmaging, you have Matthews, Tavares, Mitchy, Willie, they’re all on the ice first, and they’re all grinding before anybody else is. You start to realize why they’re some of the best players in the world: it’s because they’re really putting in the work. They are obviously very talented, and they were born with that talent, but they work extra hard for that talent to really shine through on the ice.

Reaves, on what surprised him about playing in Toronto:

What surprised me was the ups and downs of the fans in the playoffs. The arena could have been absolutely rocking at one point and then just dead silent at another point. I think that surprised me a little bit, but passionate fans are going to be passionate fans.

Reaves, on whether he thinks there was more pressure in Toronto than in other places:

There is, for sure. I think the first year I experienced it more. I started the season two years ago very well, and then things were just going really wrong for me.

All of a sudden, the whole city wanted me out of there. I don’t think you see that in other organizations. Now, having said that, there’s 9 million people there, so there’s a lot more voices—the hockey Mecca of the world, so there’s gonna be a lot more voices because of that. It wasn’t anything too crazy—it definitely is different, but it’s nothing too crazy.

Reaves, on how his age and contract factored into where he ended up:

Well, says you, I guess. Hey, I’m like a fine wine. (laughs)

Again, I said anywhere that wants me, I’m willing to go play and do everything I can. I know I’m a little bit older now, but I still think I have a year or two left. I’m 83 games away from 1,000, so that’s definitely a big goal of mine.

I really hope to have a good year in San Jose and make a good enough impression to maybe buy one more contract. That’s part of the reason [for me] for sure.

I think I still have something left, yeah, for sure. I still love the game, and I still love going to the rink and working out and grinding with the fellas. Once I lose that, I think it’ll be time to hang it up, but I haven’t lost that yet. The body’s still hanging on, so I think I still have a couple of years left.

Reaves, on how his body feels:

Well, I don’t know if any 38-year-old hockey player’s 100%, but it’s good enough to get on the ice and get up and down and play the way I need to, play physical and fight when I need to. Every hockey player has bumps and bruises and things that they deal with as you get older, they just kind of linger a little bit more, and sometimes they’re a little more sore. I love this game, so it doesn’t really matter.

Reaves, on if he thinks that he can still play 82 games:

I mean, if they give me the opportunity, I’ll try and play all 82. I’ll test it out, I can’t predict the future, I can’t tell you that game 40 something doesn’t fall apart, and I need some time off, but I feel like I can grind through 82.

Reaves, on whether “time heals all wounds” for San Jose Sharks fans:

I mean, I hope so. Fans are always going to hate you when you’re on another team, especially when you’re on a rival team. If you make a good-enough impression when you come to the city and you do what you’re supposed to do, and you do to other teams what you were doing to them, I think you can win them over, no problem. That’s the goal, anyways.

Reaves, on if he knew anyone on the Sharks prior to the trade and if he contacted them:

[Barclay Goodrow] is one of my good friends that was my running mate in New York. He lived four or five minutes away from us, so we were carpooling in New York. A lot of driving, so we would carpool everywhere together. Coming here, I’m obviously excited to reunite with him.

I got to meet Jumbo on the Leafs’ father’s trip last year—mentor’s trip, I guess it was—Matthews bought him on the trip, so I got to meet him. Great guy, I look forward to hanging out with him a little bit. Other than that, I don’t know if I know anybody else on the team, though.

Reaves, on how he thinks the Sharks’ play style fits his play style:

If it’s more of a finesse coach, then I don’t think it would be a fit for me. From what I’ve heard, he likes the heavy forecheck, kind of a grinding style of the game, so that’s what I try and bring.

Reaves, on what he makes of the opportunity to watch Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith get to the level of players he’s been on teams with before:

I mean, I’ve been with players who have been established superstars and they’ve been doing it for years. I think the Sharks have the best young superstars in the league, I think they drafted really well, and those kids are going to grow into the Matthews, the Panarins—whatever they want to be, they’re going to grow into. I’m excited to watch them grow, I’m excited to work with them. It’s going to be fun watching them.

Reaves, on what his favorite memory of the Golden Knights-San Jose Sharks rivalry was:

Any time we won, I guess. It definitely wasn’t the times you guys beat us, and definitely wasn’t that game seven overtime, I’ll tell you that much—which you know, of course, Goodrow scored. I think the rivalries are good for the game. I think rivalries are my favorite part of the game for my style of play—it just seems to get me a little more amped up. From an expansion team coming in and just immediately having a rivalry like that within the first year, I thought it was amazing, I thought it was really good for the game.Whether it was playoffs or regular season, those games were just a lot of fun, everybody was tuned in. I just remember all the battles we had on the ice.

Watch the full interview here. Special thanks to Maddie Dutra for help transcribing.