{"id":453585,"date":"2026-02-10T20:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/453585\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T20:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:05:15","slug":"insider-basically-guarantees-maple-leafs-signing-hometown-defenseman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/453585\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Basically Guarantees Maple Leafs Signing Hometown Defenseman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tampa<\/a>
The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> might not be making many big moves this trade deadline, but Nick Kypreos ignited some serious speculation about a move they might make this offseason.<\/p>\n

On air recently, Kypreos said<\/a> the Leafs should move Morgan Rielly out, then bring Toronto native Darren Raddysh home in free agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The most interesting bit of the hypothetical was that he did not present it as a maybe. He said it was already a ‘done deal’.<\/p>\n

Kypreos on Real Kyper & Bourne: “What will happen is that you move Morgan (Rielly) out and you go sign Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning. As far as I’m concerned, it’s already done.. Toronto boy, he’s got a bomb of a shot which you haven’t had in years”<\/p>\n

\u2014 NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) February 4, 2026<\/a>
\nDarren Raddysh to the Maple Leafs is gaining steam<\/p>\n

Raddysh is forcing the conversation with a full-on breakout season for the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The right-shot defenceman has piled up 51 points in 48 games with 17 goals and 34 assists, sitting near the top of the league in blue line scoring, and he is doing it on a bargain deal at $1.975 million before hitting UFA status this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Darren Raddysh played in 169 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack from 2017-2018 to 2020-2021 and he was never once called up to play for the Rangers.<\/p>\n

He has 107PTS in 211GP for Tampa Bay. #NYR<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/2K4ir7SqOe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Snark Messier (@SnarkMessier) January 4, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

The big selling point is the one Toronto has been missing for years: a real bomb from the point. Raddysh has been tracked with a 100.13 MPH hardest shot this season and has lived in the elite tier for shot speed.<\/p>\n

What a Morgan Rielly trade could open up for Toronto<\/p>\n

The uncomfortable part is Morgan Rielly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rielly is 31, the longest tenured Toronto Maple Leafs skater, an alternate captain, and he is still producing offensively with 31 points in 54 games this season after signing that eight-year, $60 million extension that carries a $7.5 million cap hit.<\/p>\n

His peak was massive, too, including that 72-point campaign in 2018-19, so the idea of pushing him out is about the organization looking for a different identity on the back end. His defensive game has really fallen off a cliff, though, and he’s drawn a lot of criticism for it this year, especially.<\/p>\n

Darren Raddysh: 46 points in 46 games this season \u26a1 pic.twitter.com\/NyYLLxqNgv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NHL (@NHL) January 30, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

If Kypreos is even close on the \u201cdone deal\u201d tone, the Leafs would be betting that Raddysh\u2019s prime years and elite point shot can change the geometry of their power play and add a different layer to their attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prior to this season, Raddysh had combined for 12 goals, 70 points, and a +6 plus\/minus rating across 155 games played the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

It is not a magic fix, though, because Toronto still needs to defend better as a group, and Raddysh is not arriving as a one-man shutdown solution.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/p>\n