Getty

Toronto Maple Leafs fans hope Darren Raddysh turns out to be gold, instead of the lemon that David Clarkson became.

One of the all-time worst free-agent deals was the Toronto Maple Leafs signing David Clarkson back in 2013. The Leafs pounced on the then-29-year-old forward, who was one-year removed from a 30-goal season with the New Jersey Devils.

His 30 goals and 46 points in 2011-12 were the breakout everyone believed the undrafted forward was inching towards. He followed that up with 15 tallies in 48 games during the shortened 2012-13 season.

Clarkson was ready to become a UFA, and the Maple Leafs were ready to make it happen. The Leafs’ GM at the time, David Nonis, was looking to make a splash. And that he did. He inked Clarkson to a seven-year deal worth $36.75 million.

At the time, the deal was bone-chilling. The salary cap was about $65 million, with Clarkson’s cap hit accounting for 8.16% of the Maple Leafs’ total cap allocation.

It was a risky move, one that immediately backfired. Clarkson scored five goals and 11 points in 60 games in his first season in Toronto. He followed that up with 10 goals in 58 games before getting shipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Leafs were fortunate enough to get out from under Clarkson’s cap hit when they did. Unfortunately, the once Maple Leafs forward saw his career end due to injuries. The Leafs eventually re-acquired his contract in 2019 to use it as LTIR cap space.

Why Raddysh Could End Up as Clarkson 2.0 for Maple Leafs

The parallels here are stunning. Like Clarkson, the Maple Leafs are betting on a guy who had one breakout season. He had never really shown numbers like this before, leaving room to doubt.

Yes, Raddysh is a defenseman, and Clarkson is a forward. Forwards are paid to score. Defensemen can get away with seeing their production dip as long as their defensive game is rock solid.

But that’s the thing. The whole point of acquiring Raddysh is his offensive upside. If he just becomes a highly paid defensive defenseman, the Maple Leafs hope he morphs into Devon Toews.

The other parallel is that Clarkson’s production flourished in New Jersey. That didn’t translate to Toronto. Clarkson moved away from the team, system, and coach that made him successful. The same situation will apply to Raddysh.

He’ll be moving away from Nikita Kucherov and Jon Cooper. As such, will his skills and production carry over to Toronto with Auston Matthews and Jim Hiller?

Those are questions Maple Leafs fans will be eager to see a positive answer to.

What to read next:

No Contract Ever Comes Without Risk

Ultimately, no contract in any sport comes without risk. The Maple Leafs aren’t immune to Raddysh flaming out.

That said, the risk is certainly worth the upside insofar as upgrading the blue line this season. John Chayka could have taken this argument and chosen a safer route, whatever that might have been.

But the bottom line is that the Maple Leafs are in a position where they want to win. They’re sending the right message to the fanbase and putting the NHL on notice.

If Raddysh’s contract pays off, and everyone hopes it does, Chayka would look like a genius for pulling this move off.