The Pittsburgh Penguins‘ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #75 in Penguins’ history.
Only one player in franchise history has worn #75, so – once again – he is the best player in franchise history to wear the number by default.
The best #75 in Penguins’ history is forward Ryan Reaves.
Reaves was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Blues before he was traded to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2017 in a package involving Pittsburgh’s 2017 first-round pick.
Although that trade didn’t age particularly well, Reaves spent the first part of the 2017-18 season with the Penguins and became popular with fans because of his inclination to drop the gloves. He was one of the few “enforcers” the Penguins have had during the Sidney Crosby era. and he logged 84 penalty minutes in 58 games with Pittsburgh.
A career fourth-line type, he did score a few goals with the Penguins. During his brief tenure in Pittsburgh, he registered four goals and eight points.
Reaves was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights during their inaugural season at the 2018 trade deadline. He spent four seasons in Vegas before playing for the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs – where he currently laces up the skates.
Over the course of his NHL career so far, Reaves has recorded 63 goals, 146 points, and 1,095 penalty minutes in 898 games.
