Maple Leafs land Raddysh in Lightning trade, shore up defense
Toronto adds a right-shot defenseman with NHL pedigree to stabilize the blue line for the stretch run and beyond.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick. The move bolsters Toronto’s blue-line depth with a right-shot option and NHL-ready minutes. Raddysh, 26, slots into the Leafs’ bottom pairing as a stabilizing presence.
He tallied 14 points in 50 games for Tampa last season and brings a physical, stay-at-home profile to a defense core that leaned left-heavy in 2024–25. Toronto’s top pairings are set, but the third pair required reinforcement; Raddysh’s right-shot ability and penalty-kill experience address that need directly. m.
