"The first thing I read was 'Reaves for Sidney Crosby,'" Reaves told stlouisblues.com on Saturday. "I texted Stewart and said 'I don't know why you're (believing) that. You're an idiot!' Then my phone rang and it was (Doug Armstrong) calling. The trade wasn't for Crosby, but it was true."

ST. LOUIS - Ryan Reaves was playing ping pong with his brother when he received a text from former Blue Chris Stewart saying he heard rumors that Reaves was getting traded to Pittsburgh.

Armstrong called to tell Reaves that he had been traded to Pittsburgh at the 2017 NHL Draft in exchange for a first-round draft pick, which the Blues would use to select Klim Kostin - the top-ranked European skater, and forward Oskar Sundqvist. The Blues had also given up two first-round picks that day to acquire Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Working with Ryan from the Peoria days and watching him come up and mature on and off the ice… that was a real difficult one for me, personally," Armstrong said after making the deal. Armstrong said the character the Blues were receiving with Schenn was a reason he could afford to make the Reaves trade with Pittsburgh.

"I'm not sure we would have traded Reaves without knowing Schenn was coming back," Armstrong said.

It's been nearly eight months since the deal, and it's been more than nine since Reaves played a professional hockey game at Scottrade Center. That wait will end Sunday (11 a.m., NBC, NBC Sports App, KMOX) when Reaves makes his first trip back to St. Louis as a member of an opposing team.

Video: Thank you, Ryan Reaves

"I think it's going to be a little different just because I haven't seen the boys in awhile," Reaves said. "You're going against your former teammates, but you're doing it in the home I lived in for seven years in front of a fan base that I came to love over seven years. I'm sure it's going to be emotional and I'm going to take it all in but I'm sure it's going to be a fun game, though."

Things have worked out fine for both the Blues and Reaves since the deal. St. Louis is two points out of the top spot in the Central Division and remains competitive in the difficult Western Conference, and the Penguins are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, where they will surely contend again for a third straight championship.

Reaves has played in 53 games for Pittsburgh this season, scoring three goals, three assists and recording 80 penalty minutes. In seven years in St. Louis, Reaves played in 419 games and logged 695 penalty minutes, which is 13th on the Blues' all-time list.

"It's been good. It's been an adjustment," Reaves said of playing for the Penguins. "I've had a little bit of a different role than I did last year in St. Louis, and the organization has been really good to me. I like the guys a lot here. It's been fun, and we're such a dangerous team. It's fun being around a team that you always know you have a chance to win. That's how it was in St. Louis, too, but being on a team that has won back-to-back Cups, you know that you're always in games with so much firepower on this team."

Not long ago, Marc-Andre Fleury went back to Pittsburgh as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights and got a touching in-game tribute at PPG Paints Arena. No matter what the Blues have planned for him, Reaves expects he will have a similar emotional moment on Sunday.

"The fans there showed him a whole lot of respect when (Fleury) came back," Reaves said. "I hope it's going to be something like that."