Maple Leafs Trade for 70-Point Defenseman Days Before NHL Draft

The first big roster move of the John Chayka era was a big one.

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired 70-point defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.

They then locked Raddysh up with an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million per year). Raddysh is now the highest-paid defenseman on the Leafs' roster and the third highest-paid skater overall.

The move takes one of the top defensemen available off the market and instantly bolsters Toronto's blue line, which lacked serious depth behind Morgan Reilly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

"For us it’s an aggressive move, [and] it’s not without risk, of course," Chayka told reporters, via ESPN. "But we just felt that given the stage we’re at, and what he brings to the table, we felt it was worth pursuing.

"[The trade] came together pretty quickly. The opportunity to secure, in our opinion, the top free agent is an organizational win…[in] that we were able to get a defenseman for eight years that we feel very strongly about."

Raddysh had a career year in 2025, totaling 22 goals and 70 points with a +21 rating. He averaged 22:41 of ice time per game, the most of any Lightning players last season. But his statistical surge wasn't the reason Toronto aggressively pursued him, according to Chayka, who said Raddysh's well-rounded style of play was a major selling point for him.

The 30-year-old blue-liner will also be a weapon for the Maple Leafs on the power play. Raddysh logged 10 goals and 26 points on the man advantage last year. He would've led all Leafs players in PP points and ranked second in PP goals behind John Tavares.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 12:30 PM.