New York received a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The 35-year-old forward has no points and 12 penalty minutes in 12 games this season and was a healthy scratch in seven of eight games for the Rangers before the trade. Reaves played 7:26 in a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 12.
A source close to the Rangers said Reaves and his agent requested a trade before a 5-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
"(New York general manager) Chris Drury and I talked for a couple of weeks about it," Minnesota GM Bill Guerin said. "Obviously, he was a popular player there. He did a lot of good things for that team but, you know, hadn't been playing on a regular basis of late. But for us, I just feel that what Ryan brings as a player, the way he plays his role is elite. And, more importantly than that, or just as importantly as that, he brings a lot of energy. He's just always full of energy.
"He's a big personality. I think right now, that's something our team really needs. I mean, we've always had good guys, good teammates, and things like that. I just feel like we could use you know, a little shot of that, and I think he definitely supplies it."
As part of the trade, the Wild will take on all of the remaining $1.75 million NHL salary cap charge Reaves is owed this season. He can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Reaves played 81 games for the Rangers over two seasons and had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) and 55 penalty minutes.
A fifth-round pick (No. 156) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2005 NHL Draft, Reaves has 114 points (54 goals, 60 assists) and 992 penalty minutes in 767 regular-season games with the Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Rangers. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) and 100 penalty minutes in 102 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Wild (9-8-2) entered their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday tied for 23rd in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in goals per game (2.84).
"Listen, right now we could probably use some more scoring," Guerin said. "I'd like to see it handled internally. If that doesn't happen, we have flexibility still and we still have cap space. We can do other things too, but I'd really like to see this group handle that internally.
" … We've been having trouble finding or refining our identity, and you know, sometimes that takes some jockeying. You have to try different things. If it's not working, you're not going to just stick with it, and that's another reason I think Ryan's an identity guy for us. And the fact of the matter is that he's big. We need some size and we've had a hard time getting back to our identity and, you know, I think he'll help."
The Rangers (10-7-4), who have eight picks in the 2025 draft, host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSG, SN NOW).
NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report
