The Toronto Maple Leafs are said to “absolutely covet” defenseman Darren Raddysh ahead of free agency on July 1.

The Maple Leafs have holes on their defense, and they have money to spend, so it makes all the sense in the world that the team is already being connected to Raddysh, the top UFA defenseman after scoring 70 points in 73 games this past season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Raddysh, a 30-year-old Toronto native, has played in the NHL for parts of five seasons after being signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay in 2021. He has transformed from someone who was an undrafted player into one of the league’s top-scoring defensemen, and in a weak free-agent class this summer, he is poised to land a massive contract from someone on the open market.

Could that be in Toronto?

Maple Leafs Want Darren Raddysh

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs are expected to make a big push to sign Raddysh when free agency opens on July 1.

“What if Tampa Bay’s Darren Raddysh hits the open market? I’m told that the Maple Leafs absolutely covet Raddysh, and they’re trying to create the cap space to make sure they are a big-time player again, if he gets to July 1,” Dreger said.

Maple Leafs Need Defensive Help

It goes without saying that the Maple Leafs need help on their blueline. Although Raddysh isn’t the shutdown defender that the Leafs could truly use to help change their defensive core, he is still one of the top-scoring defensemen in the league, and it never hurts to have more offense from the backend.

With that in mind, the Maple Leafs are likely considering moving on from longtime defenseman Morgan Rielly this summer after he has worn out his welcome with the team. Though it is not Rielly’s fault that the team has had no playoff success in the past decade, it’s time that the team moves on and brings in new blueliners as the Maple Leafs look forward to the future.

With a new general manager in John Chayka and a new head coach in Jim Hiller, the Maple Leafs need to make changes all over their roster next. Having the No. 1 overall pick and taking Gavin McKenna with it on June 26 will be the first step the team needs to take to revamp its roster, but it’s far from the only change the team needs to make, as the Maple Leafs need to make wholesale changes to their team after missing the playoffs this past season for the first time in a decade.

Bringing in someone like Raddysh would certainly be a step in the right direction. Although some critics believe he could be a prime regression candidate after he had a career year at age 30 with the Lightning, there is no doubt he is the top defenseman on the free-agent market this summer. He doesn’t cost any assets to sign, just money, which the Leafs have tons of. So don’t be surprised if Raddysh is a Maple Leafs player as of July 1.