Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka issued a statement after he traded for Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

News broke early Friday morning that the Maple Leafs were closing in on a sign-and-trade deal with the Bolts for Raddysh. A few hours later, the trade was made official by the Maple Leafs.

As part of the deal, the Lightning signed Raddysh to an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 AAV) and sent him to Toronto in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

“TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Toronto’s fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft,” the Maple Leafs wrote on X, confirming the sign-and-trade.

John Chayka Issues Statement on Darren Raddysh

After the Maple Leafs made the trade official, the team’s new GM, Chayka, issued a statement in which he gushed over Raddysh.

“We are thrilled to add a defenceman of Darren’s caliber to our organization. Darren has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way defensemen, combining elite puck-moving ability with poise, competitiveness, and strong play in all three zones. He strengthens our blue line in every situation and is exactly the type of player we want helping lead this team,” Chayka said.

The 30-year-old Raddysh had a breakout year with the Lightning this season, scoring 70 points in 73 games and earning Norris Trophy consideration as a result.

With Lightning captain Victor Hedman missing time this season, Raddysh took over the No. 1 PP QB role in Tampa Bay, and he used his booming shot from the point to score 22 goals, including 10 goals on the power play.

In Toronto, Raddysh will fill a top-two role for the team as they look to turn a page defensively under new head coach Jim Hiller.

He only has one truly good season under his belt, but the Maple Leafs obviously feel that the 2025-26 version of Raddysh is the guy they will get going forward, and they were comfortable making this deal because of it.

Next Moves for Maple Leafs’ Defense

Now that the Maple Leafs have signed Raddysh, the team has to make some other moves on its backend to improve it from what it was last year, when the team’s defense was among the worst in the NHL.

The biggest move that is coming is likely a trade of longtime defenseman Morgan Rielly, who will likely be sent packing to a Western Conference team. It’s just time that this marriage ended in a divorce, so look for the Maple Leafs to trade Rielly back and essentially replace him with Raddysh in the team’s lineup.

The Maple Leafs may also consider trading Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Carlo, two defensemen who were acquired by former GM Brad Treliving. While Ekman-Larsson had a great year for Toronto last season, the team may want to capitalize on his trade value, while Carlo had never fit in the Maple Leafs’ lineup since they made a bad trade with the Boston Bruins to acquire him two years ago.

Either way, the Maple Leafs’ defense core looks much better with Raddysh on it today than it did before, so kudos to Chayka on making this move, even if some naysayers believe it’s an overpay.