Leafs acquire Darren Raddysh from Lightning; signed to eight-year deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Raddysh signed him an eight-year contract extension reportedly worth $8.5 million per season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report.
“We are thrilled to add a defenceman of Darren’s caliber to our organization,” Leafs GM John Chayka said in a statement. “Darren has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way defensemen, combining elite puck-moving ability with poise, competitiveness, and strong play in all three zones. He strengthens our blue line in every situation and is exactly the type of player we want helping lead this team.”
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
Raddysh set career highs with the Lightning in 2025-26, finishing with 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points, averaging 22:42 of ice time in 73 regular-season games. He was tied for second among NHL defenders in goals, 11th in assists and sixth in points last season.
His 22 goals in 2025-26 broke the Lightning single-season franchise record.
The 30-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. In Daily Faceoff managing editor Matt Larkin’s top 50 NHL UFAs of 2026, Raddysh was ranked No. 2.
“Raddysh has never even earned $1 million in a season. His next contract will be a true life-changer, so Tampa’s offer will have to be significant in dollars and term to keep him from going to market,” Larkin wrote. “Why wouldn’t you if you were Raddysh?
Last month, Larkin came up with a list of puck-moving defenders the Leafs could target in the offseason, writing this about Raddysh:
“He’s a Toronto native who’d give the Leafs quite an offensive lift, particularly with his blistering shot, but it goes without saying how risky it would be to pay a 30-year-old for a career year,” Larkin said.
Across parts of five NHL seasons, the Toronto native has 35 goals and 108 assists for 143 points in 249 career regular-season games. He also has two goals and two assists for four points in 20 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Before Raddysh first played in the NHL in 2021-22, he played in the American Hockey League for six seasons, where he recorded 42 goals and 129 assists for 171 points in 339 regular-season games with the Syracuse Crunch, Hartford Wolf Pack and Rockford IceHogs.