The Toronto Maple Leafs have once again made a big trade and this time it is with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Darren Raddysh is going to Toronto. Raddysh has also been signed to an eight-year contract worth an average annual value of $8.5 million. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, which means this will be a major name taken out of the free agency equation early. Going the other way in the deal is a fifth-round draft pick in this year’s upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Let’s discuss what the Leafs are getting in Raddysh.
Credit Image: Andrew J. Kramer/CSM via ZUMA Wire
Darren Raddysh Heads to Toronto Looking for Another Strong Year
Raddysh is coming off a career year in Tampa Bay, where he scored 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points in 73 games. That total almost doubled his previous career high, which came the previous year, when Raddysh scored 37 points. With the absence of Victor Hedman for long stretches of time last season, Raddysh’s offensive output made up for the loss on the blueline.
TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Toronto’s fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 19, 2026
Chayka Going All-In On Raddysh
Sources say that Darren Raddysh's eight-year deal with the #leafs carries a $8.5M AAV.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 19, 2026
The contract signed by Toronto is a risky one, because this offensive blip could be a one-off. GM John Chayka is betting on the 30-year-old in a big way. Following the trade that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Leafs gained around $5 million in salary cap space, which contributed to this signing here today. This long-term deal will take Raddysh into his late 30s, so the first few years of his contract will tell just how much of a return this risky maneuver entails. The move should bring some immediate improvement to the secondary scoring on the team’s back end.
What This Means for Tampa
Tampa will be able to use money they had saved for Raddysh, elsewhere. We do expect Victor Hedman has a bit of a bounce back season, following a turbulent 2025-26. Plus, J.J. Moser has been a strong development for the team’s backend. So, all-in-all Raddysh was an asset that general manager Julien BriseBois felt he could part with.
Main Photo Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images
