Mitch Marner isn’t spending his time dissecting Toronto’s offseason, but he did make one thing clear when Darren Raddysh’s name came up: he knows the work that got him there.
The Maple Leafs’ big summer swing centered on a player who turned a 70-point breakout into an eight-year, $68-million deal. Raddysh’s payday was one of the headline moves in Toronto’s offseason, a major commitment both financially and in terms of star power. For Marner, now with the Vegas Golden Knights, the reaction was simple and personal.
“I obviously see all that stuff. Don't think very much.
I'm just thinking about our team and what we've got to do to be the best we can be. I know Raddy quite well, I'm very happy for him.
He's worked his butt.”
That connection goes back a while. Marner and Raddysh were OHL rivals, with Raddysh skating for the Erie Otters and Marner playing for the London Knights. Marner also watched the long climb that led to this point, including Raddysh’s time grinding through the AHL before finally earning his place with the Lightning.
Toronto’s offseason was built around more than one splash. The club made a series of moves designed to help now and later, addressing needs on the blueline and in the bottom six while also bringing in a new front office and coaching system expected to bring more excitement and success.
Raddysh was the biggest of those additions, and his contract represents a huge bet on what came after that 70-point season. Marner’s praise doesn’t predict how it all turns out, but it does underline the kind of respect Raddysh has earned from people who know the road he took.
What no spreadsheet can promise is whether that late-career breakout holds up over eight years. But Marner’s comments suggest the foundation behind it is real. And for a player whose rise came the hard way, that’s not nothing.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Could Make Bottom Six A Lot More Interesting
The Maple Leafs already made one family connection this summer when they landed defenseman Darren Raddysh from Tampa Bay in a sign-and-trade, and now there is at least a little buzz around whether they might try to bring his brother Taylor into the picture as well. Taylor Raddysh is with the Rangers, but roster constraints in New York could leave him available, which naturally gets a team like Toronto thinking about how another depth piece might fit.
For the Leafs, the appeal goes beyond the novelty of reuniting brothers. A move for Taylor would be about giving the bottom six another layer of competition and a little more versatility, something that can matter a lot over the course of a season. Whether Toronto actually gets involved remains to be seen, but it is the kind of low-risk, high-interest idea that tends to linger when a team has already shown it is willing to connect the Raddysh family to the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Max Domi Just Gave The Maple Leafs A Real Camp Problem
The Maple Leafs opened camp with a familiar kind of uncertainty around Max Domi, and this one carries more weight than a routine preseason absence. General manager John Chayka said the forward will not be ready when camp begins and will remain out indefinitely after complications from an offseason surgery, leaving Toronto without one of the veteran pieces it expected to have available from day one. The club has not said what procedure Domi had, and the lack of detail only adds to the sense that this is more than a short-term hiccup.
Domi is expected to speak publicly about the injury at a later date, but for now the Leafs are left to sort out a roster picture that was supposed to be clearer by September. His absence matters because he is under contract for two more seasons, and Toronto had been counting on him as part of its forward mix entering the year. For a team trying to get organized early, the bigger issue is not just who fills in right away, but how long it will be until one of its more established forwards is actually able to join the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Prospect Showcase Just Clarified One Important Depth Chart Battle
The Maple Leafs are bringing 26 prospects to the Prospect Showcase on Sept. 12-13, giving the organization another look at a group that could shape the next wave of depth decisions. Gavin McKenna is the headliner and is widely viewed as the top prospect expected to reach the NHL this season, but the event is also a chance for Toronto to measure where the rest of the pipeline stands after a summer of roster reshuffling and development focus.
For players like Ben Danford, Vinny Borgesi, Hayes Hundley and Timofei Obvintsev, this is less about hype than readiness. Toronto wants to see which prospects are closest to handling competition beyond the prospect level, and the showcase should help clarify who is pushing hardest for a quicker climb. In a system where every step matters, these two days can go a long way toward sorting out the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]