The Toronto Maple Leafs made significant offseason changes to both their organizational structure and roster.
One of the acquisitions that drew the most attention from the Toronto franchise was defenseman Darren Raddysh, who arrived from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, as officially announced on June 19, 2026.
Raddysh, 30, is viewed by many as a star signing, but others see his arrival as a risk for the Leafs. The defenseman signed an eight-year contract through the 2033-34 season with an $8.5 million cap hit, meaning a total value of $68 million.
His final season with Tampa was impressive, to say the least, as he accumulated 70 points on 22 goals and 48 assists in 73 games.
“I couldn’t be happier to be joining a great team, a great group of players, and I’m excited to be here for eight years and play for the team I grew up watching,” Raddysh said after being announced as Toronto’s newest player.
Raddysh’s $68M Deal and What It Means for Maple Leafs
However, as we mentioned at the beginning, some analysts see his arrival as a risk but still view the addition of the defenseman as a positive move overall, as long as certain things are taken into account. Maple Leafs Hot Stove editor and founder Alec Brownscombe explained in a recent analysis that for Raddysh’s season with the Leafs to be considered successful, he does not need to replicate the 70-point campaign he had last season.
For the analyst, a reasonable range for the Toronto native would be 40 to 50 points, with 10 to 15 goals. That would justify his salary. Brownscombe’s argument also rests on the fact that Raddysh is not only arriving as a point producer for the franchise, but also fills key holes the Leafs did not have covered last season.
To begin with, he is a right-shot defenseman who can make clean passes under pressure during transitions. He has quality minutes against top competition and a good one-timer for the power play. The 30-year-old defenseman also has a considerable impact at five-on-five.
In Tampa, he dominated his five-on-five minutes alongside J.J. Moser, and replicating that performance at five-on-five alongside a player such as Jake McCabe could be a reason for Toronto head coach Jim Hiller to be happy.
Of course, signing him through age 38 carries risk because physical decline is almost inevitable. But Brownscombe’s conclusion is that, given the current NHL market for right-shot defensemen, Raddysh represents a magnificent signing for Toronto.
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