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The Toronto Maple Leafs may have to wait until the summer to address their roster issues. Currently, the club is six points out of a playoff spot as the NHL pauses for the Olympics. In fact, only the Florida Panthers have fewer points in the entire Atlantic Division.

While the deficit is not a monumental gap, there is a logjam of teams vying for a playoff spot. This is particularly the case in the Atlantic. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving could still opt to make a move or two to improve the team ahead of the March 6 deadline. Nevertheless, a major trade seems fairly unlikely at this point.

According to PuckPedia.com, Toronto has some of the lowest current cap space in the league. Because of this, it will be difficult for the Maple Leafs to bring in star players via trade and remain under the cap. Along with financial restrictions, Toronto also does not exactly have a surplus of prospects to move. ESPN recently rated the Maple Leafs as the 27th-best prospect pool in the NHL.

Due to the situation, Treliving will likely have to endure the remainder of the 2025-26 season and add to his roster in free agency. NHL insider Nick Kypreos has specifically singled out Tampa Bay Lightning breakout star Darren Raddysh as a potential focal point for the Leafs this summer. In a recent Toronto Star column, Kypreos claimed that the defenseman would be a perfect fit with the club.

Darren Raddysh Would Boost Toronto Maple Leafs Struggling Power Play

GettyAlong with supplying points, Darren Raddysh is also not afraid to be physical.

While not exactly a household name, Raddysh has exploded in 2025-26 after posting back-to-back solid seasons in Tampa. Formerly undrafted, the blueliner has recorded 52 points in 49 games with the Lightning this campaign. This particular tally is currently level with forwards William Nylander and Mika Zibanejad.

20 of Raddysh’s points this season have also come on the power play. As Kypreos points out, Toronto’s man advantage has struggled throughout 2025-26, posting just an 18.8% success rate. At the moment, Nylander leads the Leafs with just 10 power-play points on the season.

Because of Raddysh’s play, and the fact that the 2026 free agent class is fairly lackluster, Kypreos believes Toronto will go hard at the defenseman. “In what has been described as a very weak upcoming unrestricted free agent class, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh is poised to cash in come July,” stated Kypreos.

“If there is a team that needs him more than Toronto, please let me know. He’s a right-handed shot with a bomb and would be a perfect upgrade for an ongoing issue on their power play.”

Toronto Will Have to Make Room for Raddysh

Along with potentially helping out on the power play, Raddysh would also shore up a struggling Leafs defense. Toronto has allowed an average of 3.39 goals per game so far this season. This is currently the sixth-worst figure in the entire NHL. Assuming the Leafs do target Raddysh, they will likely have to trade either Brandon Carlo, Troy Stretcher, or Chris Tanev. All three are under contract beyond this season.

Toronto will, however, have plenty of competition to sign Raddysh. Because there are just not a lot of options in free agency this summer, the star is expected to receive a big raise. The Toronto native previously inked a two-year, $1.95 million contract ($975K AAV) with Tampa.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore

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