The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a familiar spot-searching for answers on the blue line, both for the present and especially for the seasons to come. And with Darren Raddysh generating buzz as a potential UFA target, the fit seems obvious on paper.
He’s a right-shot defenseman, has size, and knows how to let it rip from the point. That’s a profile that checks a lot of boxes for a team that’s been trying to solidify its defensive core for years.
At 29, Raddysh isn’t a prospect-he’s a player who’s had to grind for every NHL opportunity. Undrafted and now in his third full NHL season, he’s posted back-to-back 30-point campaigns.
That’s solid production for a defenseman, especially one who wasn’t expected to be a top-four contributor early in his career. This season, though, he’s taken things up a notch.
Whether it’s confidence, opportunity, or simply everything clicking at the right time, Raddysh is playing the best hockey of his career.
But here’s where the Leafs need to tread carefully.
Raddysh’s breakout year could be the start of something real-or it could be the kind of well-timed surge that’s become all too familiar in the NHL. Think back to Brandon Montour.
Like Raddysh, Montour had hovered around the 30-point mark for most of his career. Then came his explosion in 2022-23 with the Panthers: 16 goals, 73 points, and a Stanley Cup ring to top it off.
That season just happened to be his contract year, and it paid off big-seven years, $50 million from the Seattle Kraken.
Since then? Montour’s numbers have come back down to earth.
He’s been more of a middle-pairing guy than the top-pairing anchor that contract suggests. And while he’s still a valuable player, the Kraken are paying for the outlier season, not the career norm.
That’s the cautionary tale here. The Leafs can’t afford to hand out another big-ticket contract based on one standout season unless they’re confident that what they’re seeing is sustainable. It’s not about doubting Raddysh’s talent-it’s about understanding the context.
Players often peak during contract years. It’s human nature.
The stakes are high, and everyone wants to prove their worth. But for front offices, the challenge is separating genuine growth from a hot streak.
With Raddysh, the sample size is still relatively small. He’s been good, no doubt.
But is he a long-term solution on the right side of the Leafs' defense, or just the latest player to ride a wave of momentum into free agency?
If Toronto believes there’s more under the hood-if their scouts and analytics team see signs that Raddysh’s game has truly evolved-then a calculated move makes sense. But if the price tag starts creeping into top-pairing territory, that’s where the risk gets real.
The Leafs don’t need another contract that looks questionable two years in. They need smart, sustainable roster building.
If Raddysh can be part of that at the right number, great. If not, it might be wiser to let someone else take the gamble.