The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, John Chayka, had the most active offseason of any NHL team. While it seems a lot of his moves have worked out thus far, there is one underlying player who hasn’t seemed to find his groove with the organization just yet.
Chayka traded for and signed the number one defenceman on the market, Darren Raddysh, to a massive eight-year, $68 million deal. Raddysh had a breakout season during the 2025-26 campaign, playing to a level nobody saw coming. With Viktor Hedman out for the majority of the season, the Toronto native got his chance and made no mistake. In 73 games, Raddysh produced 70 points, including 22 goals.
Maple Leafs Pulled the Trigger on Darren Raddysh
Many had speculations when the Maple Leafs pulled the trigger, bringing back thoughts of David Clarkson. While I don’t think there is any scenario where Raddysh turns into Clarkson, it has fans a little concerned. In seven games, the 30-year-old has three assists while leading the Maple Leafs with a time on ice of 23:22. While those numbers are nothing to be worried about so far, the way he has played has caught the eye of many.
Heading into the offseason, the vision for the Maple Leafs’ defensive core was clear: the team needed to become faster and stronger with the puck, as well as more effective without it. Darren Raddysh has checked many of those boxes so far, showing confidence in possession and consistently unleashing shots exceeding 90 MPH, although none have found the back of the net. However, concerns have emerged about his defensive play. Raddysh has struggled in his own zone, and his foot speed has often left him chasing opposing players as they enter the zone.
Ahead of the Maple Leafs loss to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, reporters asked Toronto’s head coach Jim Hiller about Raddysh and his role in playing larger minutes in the defensive zone.
Raddysh Has Bigger Responsibility in Toronto
“Everybody’s going to have to do a little bit more in his absence, right? That’s not necessarily the role we want him to do, to give those heavy defensive minutes, but he’s shown he can handle them.” Hiller said pregame.
This quote from Hiller doesn’t seem like someone confident with Raddysh playing in those scenarios. Injuries happen to every team in the NHL, especially to players who play a big role in the lineup, such as Chris Tanev. While it is very good to have acquired players like Raddysh, those are not the players that will lead your team, including when it gets into crunch time.
That being said, Raddysh does play a valuable role with the Maple Leafs; however, the mix-up of the rest of the defence core does not fit well. Jake McCabe plays a strong physical defensive style of hockey, but beyond that, they simply don’t have any players to fit that role. Did the Maple Leafs ultimately make a bad decision signing their $68 defenceman? No, I don’t believe so, but the rest of the makeup of the blueline isn’t built for success.
The good thing for the Maple Leafs there is still lots of time to make acquisitions as it has been reported Chayka is looking to upgrade the defence core moving throughout the season.
Maple Leafs’ $68 Million Player Raising Concerns in Toronto