The Toronto Maple Leafs are paying up to get the best defenseman available in this year’s free-agent market.
According to a bit of late-night news, insider Elliotte Friedman broke the news of a sign-and-trade deal between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Maple Leafs. While the details of the trade are unclear, what does seem evident is what Toronto is going to be paying for Raddysh.
According to another insider, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Leafs are going to cough up a pretty penny for the 30-year-old. LeBrun confirmed the trade and noted the contract would be an eight-year pact worth over $8 million AAV.
Since the term “north” indicates over $8 million, the deal could be around $8.5 million or so. That’s consistent with much of the chatter going around. Most pundits posited that Raddysh would be in line for a deal somewhere between $8 million and $9 million.
It’s not surprising that the Toronto native would be coming in around that figure with the Maple Leafs. He’s the top UFA blueliner on the market this season. In a career season, Raddysh scored 22 goals and 70 points for the Lightning.
The undrafted defenseman played five seasons with the Bolts, totaling 249 games, scoring 35 goals and 143 points.
Maple Leafs Give Raddysh Massive Pay Bump
The Maple Leafs are set to give Raddysh a massive pay bump. The right-shot D-man is coming off a two-year deal with Tampa worth $1.95 million. He was a bit of an afterthought, landing on the Lightning’s blue line as depth insurance.
However, a prolonged injury to Victor Hedman this season, plus a stint on the shelf by Ryan McDonagh, opened the door for Raddysh to run with the top-pairing defenseman role afforded to him.
And he didn’t disappoint. Raddysh relished the role, showing that he could be a top-minute munching blueliner, while also running a number-one power play unit.
The soon-to-be Maple Leafs rearguard averaged nearly 23 minutes a night during the regular season. He ended the season a +21, notching 10 power play goals and 26 power play points. He also added six game-winning goals to his totals.
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Raddysh to Take Over No.1 Defenseman Role in Toronto
The expectation will be for Raddysh to take over the top defenseman role for the Maple Leafs. It’s a bit unclear how the Leafs’ blue line will shake out following this trade. With Raddysh manning the right side of the top pairing, perhaps Morgan Rielly might get a shot at the left side.
However, having both defenseman on the game pairing might be counterproductive. The Maple Leafs might be looking for a more defensively inclined blueliner to play on the left side with Raddysh. Whoever that may be, there’s a good chance that situation drops Rielly to the second pairing.
That’s a good move, considering that Raddysh would finally take some of the pressure off Rielly to be the number-one guy. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the Leafs could trade Rielly and use that cap space to acquire a more defensive-minded blueliner.
This Raddysh signing, while a major one, is not likely going to be the last.
Maple Leafs Raddysh Contract, Insider Reveals Details