{"id":454211,"date":"2026-02-11T10:03:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/454211\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T10:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:03:07","slug":"leafs-plotting-summer-run-at-lightning-breakout-star-as-rielly-future-murky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/454211\/","title":{"rendered":"Leafs Plotting Summer Run at Lightning Breakout Star as Rielly Future Murky"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>A tale of two blue liners: Toronto Maple Leafs’ alternate captain Morgan Rielly (left) continues to anchor their defense, while Darren Raddysh (right) has emerged as a potent offensive threat for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Rumors swirl about a potential future shift in Toronto’s defensive core.<\/p>\n

Even with the NHL trade deadline<\/a> just a little over three weeks away, the most interesting chatter in Toronto isn\u2019t about a rental for the playoffs\u2014it\u2019s about a fundamental reconstruction of the defense corps this offseason.<\/p>\n

According to a new report from NHL insider Nick Kypreos<\/a> in the Toronto Star, the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> have their sights set on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh<\/a> as a primary target for when free agency opens on July 1. The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman is playing well in his contract year and is set to cash in, with Kypreos noting he would be the \u201cperfect upgrade\u201d to the Maple Leafs\u2019 power play.<\/p>\n

While the Leafs hunt for quick fixes now, this rumor suggests management is already looking at the big picture: a summer where the blue line gets younger, right-handed, and significantly more dangerous offensively.<\/p>\n

The Long Game: Why Raddysh Fits the Summer Plan<\/p>\n

MY TAKE: While fans are screaming for trades now, the reality is that Tampa Bay likely holds onto Raddysh as a \u201cself-rental\u201d for their own playoff push. That sets the stage for a bidding war in July, and Toronto intends to win it.<\/p>\n

Raddysh is in the final season of a two-year contract with a bargain AAV of $975,000<\/a>. While he was solid previously, he has exploded into a legitimate scoring star this season with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points in 49 games played. He\u2019s playing with massive confidence, largely because he stepped up when Lightning captain Victor Hedman<\/a> was sidelined.<\/p>\n

He is poised for a substantial raise\u2014likely in the $5M range\u2014which the Lightning may struggle to afford given their cap structure. If he hits the open market on July 1, he becomes the exact archetype Toronto has lacked: a bomb from the point who plays the right side.<\/p>\n

The June Buyout Window: The Rielly Domino<\/p>\n

Here is where the offseason timeline becomes crucial. You cannot add a contract of Raddysh\u2019s projected size without moving money out. If Morgan Rielly<\/a> remains a Leaf past the trade deadline, all eyes turn to the June buyout window.<\/p>\n

Kypreos suggests that if Rielly is not traded, he could be bought out to clear the necessary cap space. It\u2019s a harsh reality, but signing Raddysh would represent a philosophical pivot for the Leafs\u2014moving away from Rielly\u2019s style to a right-handed shot who commands the offensive zone differently.<\/p>\n

Raddysh might not be available for the Leafs (or anyone else) if Tampa finds a way to extend him before July 1. But if he walks, expect Toronto to be the most aggressive suitor on day one of Free Agency.<\/p>\n

Finding the Latest Toronto Maple Leafs News<\/p>\n

Looking for the absolute latest on the Blue and White? Join our NHL Playoff Hockey Pool for cash prizes<\/a> and find out exactly how to watch the Leafs game on TV today<\/a> on our website. Make sure to add nhltraderumor.com<\/a> to your bookmarks for breaking updates and exclusive insider analysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A tale of two blue liners: Toronto Maple Leafs’ alternate captain Morgan Rielly (left) continues to anchor their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[2580,5,23004,20,5172,885,4,2783,92,66,31,5171],"class_list":{"0":"post-454211","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-darren-raddysh","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-leafs-trade-rumors","11":"tag-maple-leafs","12":"tag-mapleleafs","13":"tag-morgan-rielly","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-nick-kypreos","16":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","17":"tag-toronto","18":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","19":"tag-torontomapleleafs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116051430867303288","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}