Maple Leafs land defenceman Raddysh in sign-and-trade with Lightning

“Certainly a late bloomer in terms of offensive production,” Chayka said during a video conference. “We really saw his career as a continual progression. And while from a points perspective last year was a large jump, (we) had a lot of confidence that the fundamentals of his game had consistently improved.

“There were several jumps that led to this.”

Raddysh, a 30-year-old from Toronto, is coming off a breakthrough 2025-26 season, recording career highs with 22 goals and 70 points in 73 games. His previous career high was 37 points in 73 games with Tampa Bay in 2024-25.

Raddysh had 35 goals and 143 points in 249 career games with Tampa Bay and was set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Beyond the offence Raddysh provides — including a booming shot from the point — Chayka highlighted his ability to break out pucks, join the rush and defend against top opponents.

“The point production is a part of any player’s value. I think the part of the value that we were most focused on was his ability to impact the game holistically,” he said. “You start adding up all the elements that go into the end result of good production, and the robust play of all of that gave us a lot of confidence that we’re getting a defenceman that we haven’t had in this organization for a long time.”

Chayka called it an aggressive move that he made with confidence.

“It’s not without risk, of course, but we just felt that, given the stage we’re at and what he brings to the table, felt it was worth pursuing,” he added.

Undrafted following five seasons with the OHL’s Erie Otters, Raddysh signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018 and spent parts of six seasons in the American Hockey League before becoming an NHL regular.

Chayka described Raddysh as “Plan A” for the Maple Leafs as free agency approaches.

“We always had Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Darren, with his background, being the top potential free agent, we felt very strongly about Plan A,” he said. “It came together pretty quickly, but the opportunity to secure, in our opinion, the top free agent is an organizational win.”

Chayka said the Maple Leafs provided Raddysh with “some level” of trade protection, but did not reveal more details.

The move is the latest in a busy week for Chayka, who took over as GM alongside franchise legend Mats Sundin — now its senior executive adviser of hockey operations — last month following a disastrous campaign for one of the pre-season Stanley Cup favourites.

Chayka traded goaltender Joseph Woll and depth defenceman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for blueliner Emil Andrae, netminder Samuel Ersson and a third-round pick at the 2026 NHL draft.

The Leafs then hired Jim Hiller as the franchise’s 41st head coach Wednesday, replacing the fired Craig Berube.

Toronto also owns the No. 1 pick for next week’s draft, with star forward Gavin McKenna the odds-on favourite to go first overall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Maple Leafs land defenceman Raddysh in sign-and-trade with Lightning

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