Confirmed with Link: Leafs acquire Darren Raddysh for 2026 5th | Raddysh signs, 8 years, $8.5M AAV

[The Masters]

I wonder if this means we're going to be in on Tuch as well, it feel like we will be, especially if we don't want to trade Knies...

Knies - Matthews - Tuch
McKenna - 2C - Nylander
Cowan - Tavares - 3RW

I think you trade Knies even more if you want to sign Tuch

I would shake down Chicago who wants him

 

[ULF_55]

He wasn't PP1 until last year as far as I am aware. He will undoubtingly be quarterbacking our PP1 from the get go, so I imagine the low end comp for him should be the absolute floor IMO.

If he is a 50Pt defenseman, the contract is more than tolerable.

I also think when you have that threat up top, it naturally draws PK'ers higher than they should be, which opens up a cross seem pass that has been effectively removed from our PP since Matthews first season.

Whether Darren touches the puck on the PP or not, his presence will open things up.

Not to mention, this guy isn't some one dimensional offensive defenseman that is a liability in his own end. He can hold his own defensively.

Really not seeing much of a downside with this acquisition tbh

 

[The Masters]

 

[RODTHEBAWD66]

It's usually the histrionic types that respond like that. Once a trade or interaction happens, avoid the thread for a bit until people calm down and let their forebrain take prominence over their reptilian-amygdala brain.

results!

 

[The Masters]

wow god bless him

 

[Gabriel426]

I don’t mind this move but what is the overall game plan here for Torontos defense?

Is it to now trade Rielly? If so does Raddyish becomes your #1 D (doesn’t make sense)?

Raddysh is the No1 D with or without Reilly on the Leafs

 

[Ports]

It's just just Kucherov's speed at moving the puck... it's the fact that he's lethal shooting too. A goalie has to respect the fact that he might just keep it.

Those are McKenna’s strengths and I’m guessing they’re hoping he do that eventually for the Leafs.

 

[Crazy Monkey]

wow god bless him

Sorry to hear about his dad. He must have been young

The draw of being close to family is strong, especially for many who come from Toronto. It's why I expect Connor to be here next year, as he likely get s a young family started

 

[NJG]

I think you trade Knies even more if you want to sign Tuch

I would shake down Chicago who wants him

I agree but the only thing Chicago has that I'd want is 4th overall, Frondell, Korchinski, Rinzel... I don't think they'll trade 4th overall and Frondell and I don't think 4th overall + Korchinski + Rinzel is worth it both guys are pretty unproven. I'd want a proven 40-50 point guy coming back but I don't really like anyone they have... Nazar? Bertuzzi? Don't like any of those options.

 

[authentic]

I think you trade Knies even more if you want to sign Tuch

I would shake down Chicago who wants him

I wouldn’t . Keep our forwards stacked man. We always have trouble scoring in elimination games.

Plus we don’t exactly have the biggest and toughest bunch of skilled forwards, and this is a homegrown player who probably hasn’t reached his peak yet on a decent contract.

Trading Knies makes no sense to me either way. The payment would have to be too good to be true.

 

[MapleLeafsMats]

Just read that his father passed away in March while his mother is living in TO.

So it does make sense for him to come home and maybe TB is doing him a solid while also getting something back.

Would love to find a way to snag his brother Taylor from NYR. Fast winger who can PK and slot as our 3rd line RW.

 

[Zonk]

McCabe - Raddysh

OEL - Tanev

Andrae - Carlo/Stecher/_____

Has to be more coming, I'm underwhelmed. Get Tanev into that bottom pairing role and get another top 4 defender

What happens with Villeneuve? He will require waivers next season and he just broke the record for Marlies points in a post season.

 

[Gabriel426]

Would love to find a way to snag his brother Taylor from NYR. Fast winger who can PK and slot as our 3rd line RW.

I can see a MM for Taylor trade

 

[Gary Nylund]

“Some form of protection” doesnt bother me in the least here. And in kind, not knowing the full details doesn’t bother me either.

I was being a little bit facetious, and "some form of protection” doesn't bother me either. That said, one can't help but wonder why these details aren't being shared.

With what’s gone on in the past, I think the memo has been received that it’s not going to be business as usual. It has to have, doesn’t it?

I'm not following. How does what's gone on in the past mean things are now going to be different? It seems like we're out to make Matthews happy and trying to "win now", how's that any different from what the last decade has been like?

 

[Thornbury]

I don’t mind this move but what is the overall game plan here for Torontos defense?

Is it to now trade Rielly? If so does Raddyish becomes your #1 D (doesn’t make sense)?

It makes infinite sense that we will finally have a true PP quarterback, which Reilly was never capable of.

 

[Warden of the North]

Asked the same thing. PuckPedia shows nothing but unsure whether that’s accurate.

I think it's because the team has not officially announced the contract yet.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Yeah you’re right he is similar to McCabe, and he also did that in 73 games.

In a full season I could see him getting 15-20 goals and close to 70 points if things click on this team.

Either way I don’t care, he’s better than the defensemen on this team by a fair margin.

He is the exact archetype of defensman we have needed for quite some time now. Tanev filled a major void a couple years back, and I am assuming darren will do the same going forward.

A+ work by Chakya/Sundin to get ahead of the market on this one IMO.

if you sub Mo off the books, you're looking at a considerable upgrade on defense, both in age and in performance, for only a net +1M

Again, finding it really hard to find any negative in this acquisition.

call me a homer, and naive all you want. But this narrative of him only potting 22 because he was getting fed passes by Kuch is just absurd TBH. Putting the puck on the tee from the half wall to the point is maybe the easiest pass Kuch has in his arsenal. Literally every player in the NHL can make that pass with a high rate of efficiency. If people somehow think Nylander and/or McKenna cannot lay it on a tee for Darren in the exact same capacity, they are delusional.

It's also worth noting that Victor Hedman has only reached the 20G mark 1 time in his tenure with Kuch as the PP1 QB. So it feels completely disrespectful to suggest Darren is just a product of a good environment.

By no means am I suggesting Darren is a top-10 NHL defensemen, but he's also not paid like one. As of today, he is T18 highest paid D-man in the league, and that will only get lower with each passing year

 

[Thornbury]

As an aside, I wouldn't give Chayka much in the way of credit for this. I was told about this happening while Treliving was still here. My understanding is that it was Raddysh that initiated this, not Toronto.

Well, if you were told that was happening, I guess that's confirmation.

 

[GQS]

Don't hate this move just hate the length of the deal, but at least there doesn't seem to be any clauses in his contract so that if things go south it makes it easier to move him. If he can put up at least 40-50pts a season and play better defense then Rielly who hopefully will be leaving soon, then I'm happy.

 

[Ports]

By year 5, the cap will probably be high to the point his contract wont hurt

It won’t. By year two 27-28 it’s roughly $equivalent to $7M today, 28-29 = $6.5M. By year five, 2030 it’s probably just over $5M.

 

[Stephen]

Anyone video game curious what a Rielly Raddysh duo would look like?

 

[Stephen]

As an aside, I wouldn't give Chayka much in the way of credit for this. I was told about this happening while Treliving was still here. My understanding is that it was Raddysh that initiated this, not Toronto.

Yeah this rumour seemed to have been out there since the winter. I think even Kypreos had said it was a lay up.

 

[Martin Skoula]

He is the exact archetype of defensman we have needed for quite some time now. Tanev filled a major void a couple years back, and I am assuming darren will do the same going forward.

A+ work by Chakya/Sundin to get ahead of the market on this one IMO.

if you sub Mo off the books, you're looking at a considerable upgrade on defense, both in age and in performance, for only a net +1M

Again, finding it really hard to find any negative in this acquisition.

call me a homer, and naive all you want. But this narrative of him only potting 22 because he was getting fed passes by Kuch is just absurd TBH. Putting the puck on the tee from the half wall to the point is maybe the easiest pass Kuch has in his arsenal. Literally every player in the NHL can make that pass with a high rate of efficiency. If people somehow think Nylander and/or McKenna cannot lay it on a tee for Darren in the exact same capacity, they are delusional.

It's also worth noting that Victor Hedman has only reached the 20G mark 1 time in his tenure with Kuch as the PP1 QB. So it feels completely disrespectful to suggest Darren is just a product of a good environment.

By no means am I suggesting Darren is a top-10 NHL defensemen, but he's also not paid like one. As of today, he is T18 highest paid D-man in the league, and that will only get lower with each passing year

The other thing is Tampa has a bunch of big elite netfront forwards on that PP, like uh.. Point and Guentzel? We only have Matthews Knies and Tavares, it’s going to be a lot tougher to clean up the rebounds a 100mph point shot generates.

 

[Ports]

After the signing it looks like Leafs have close to $19mm in Capspace.
Tampa has $13mm.

One of the teams could afford his ask, and one could not.

And they’ve got to sign Kucherov. What will that cost them ?

 

[ITM]

I'm not following. How does what's gone on in the past mean things are now going to be different? It seems like we're out to make Matthews happy and trying to "win now", how's that any different from what the last decade has been like?

Marner’s exit because of his contract and Treliving’s reaction to a constrained asset management environment seems to have been understood as detrimental. I’m getting that sense by certain (albeit general) comments by Chayka, and certainly by the framing of hires that seems much more in line with a prudent, crowd out the noise managerial style.

Business as usual just nearly capsized the franchise.

Winning with Matthews now doesn’t obligate similar asset constraining contracts allocated to positions that have already been addressed.

Decisively moved on Woll. Same thing with Raddysh.

There’s an air of renewed awareness. I believe it must include a contract that doesn’t repeat Dubas’ mistakes.

Could be wrong though.