The Toronto Maple Leafs have apparently been linked to New York Rangers depth forward Taylor Raddysh, and on the surface, it’s not difficult to understand why. The reunion of the Raddysh brothers would make a nice story for this season.
Analyst Pierre McGuire recently suggested Toronto could have interest in bringing Raddysh to town, potentially creating a reunion with his brother Darren. But is the touchy-feely reunion really worth spending assets to bring in another bottom-six forward?
Taylor Raddysh is a solid NHL player. There’s nothing wrong with adding a useful bottom-six forward.
The problem is that the Maple Leafs already have plenty of those.
Toronto’s offseason has given Jim Hiller a collection of experienced depth forwards who can forecheck, kill penalties and handle difficult minutes. Raddysh could certainly help that group, but does Toronto really need more of the same?
That’s where this starts to feel like the Maple Leafs are looking for help in the wrong place.
The Maple Leafs’ Defense Is Long in the Tooth
If Toronto is going to make another significant addition, the blue line should be the priority.
The problem is becoming pretty obvious when you look at the ages. Morgan Rielly is 32, Jake McCabe is 32, Troy Stecher is 32, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 35 and Chris Tanev is 36.
That’s a lot of mileage.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with having veteran defensemen. In fact, a contender needs experience. But when so much of the defensive corps is on the wrong side of 30, Toronto has to start thinking about what this group is going to look like a year or two from now.
And that’s before considering the physical demands placed on defensemen over an 82-game season.
The Maple Leafs don’t necessarily need another veteran to patch the problem. They need to start getting younger.
That’s why spending assets on another bottom-six forward feels like a strange priority.
Toronto can find ways to fill out its forward depth.
Finding younger, legitimate NHL defensemen who can eventually take meaningful minutes is considerably more important.
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Younger Defensemen Make More Sense for Toronto
This is where the Maple Leafs should really be looking.
Toronto needs to find defensemen who can grow with the team rather than simply adding another player who can help it get through the next season.
Emil Andrae is one example of the direction the organization has already started moving toward. He’s 24 and gives Toronto some mobility on the back end. But the Maple Leafs still don’t have the kind of young, high-end defenseman who can eventually take over major minutes from their aging veterans.
That’s the piece the organization should be chasing.
Raddysh might score some goals. He might give Hiller another useful option on the bottom two lines. And if Toronto can acquire him for virtually nothing, there’s little reason to complain.
But if the Maple Leafs have meaningful trade assets to spend, they should be thinking bigger.
The forward group doesn’t need another bottom-six body nearly as badly as the blue line needs an injection of youth.
And eventually, Toronto is going to have to deal with that reality.
The Maple Leafs can keep adding depth forwards if they want.
But that won’t make an aging defense corps any younger.
Maple Leafs Are Looking for Help in the Wrong Place