Toronto Maple Leafs: Looking At Free Agent Defenseman Darren Raddysh

After Darren Raddysh’s spectacular overage season with the Erie Otters, many wondered what the future would hold for him. Could he be a target of the Toronto Maple Leafs ?

At the end of March, in Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts post, he revealed that there were a few teams interested interested in signing Raddysh, the 21-year old, undrafted, now free agent defenseman. He named the Vancouver Canucks as one of them.

Raddysh doubled his point totals this season with the Otters as their number one defenseman, putting up 81 points in 62 OHL games. He was also a point-per-game player in the OHL playoffs (22 points in 22 games), helping Erie capture the J. Ross Robertson trophy and advance to the Memorial Cup, where he contributed 8 points in 6 games. Erie would fall in the final game to the Windsor Spitfires, marking a crushing end to a fantastic season for the Otters and several of their players, including Raddysh.

Undrafted

Raddysh’s stellar season left many wondering why he hadn’t been drafted. Scouts labelled Raddysh as being too focused on his defensive responsibilities, which hurt his offensive production. In his draft year (2014), Raddysh only had 13 points in 60 OHL games, which a shocking number if you compare it to the 81 points he put up this season.

Furthermore, his skating was labelled as an issue at the time. Now, it’s no longer hindering his ability to contribute at both areas of the ice. Raddysh is only listed at 6’0, 200 pounds, and he doesn’t have the innate athleticism that you tend to see with smaller athletes, which is probably why he was never drafted.

The Scouting Report

Raddysh led the OHL in primary assists from a defenceman (31) and 34 secondary assists. He excels as a powerplay quarterback because of his ability to deliver pucks to his teammates and also has a pretty good point shot.

Raddysh has proven himself, especially with this past season, to have grown into an excellent two-way defender. His defensive awareness and gap control are among the best in the OHL. Both are going to be major factors towards Raddysh’s success in the NHL.

The Leafs Depleted Defense

The Leafs don’t have a surplus of defensive prospects who can step into their lineup in the near future. Right now, Toronto only has Travis Dermott, Andrew Nielsen, and Rinat Valiev as viable options. They really need to bolster their defensive prospect cupboard.

Toronto is likely going to lose Martin Marincin to the expansion draft. They’re also going to lose at least one of Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak to free agency. In the event that all three don’t return, they’re left with Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Nikita Zaitsev, and Connor Carrick. They also do have Alexey Marchenko, but that’s still not good enough.

Dermott has the best chance to make the jump next season, and unless he’s injured or the Leafs get another defenceman somehow, he will be with the team in October. His absence would also greatly impact the Marlies, as they would lose their number one defenceman.

Possible Fit?

Now, I’m not saying that Raddysh will be able to have an impact in the NHL right away. However, he would fill his former junior teammate’s position. Raddysh could even be a call-up option, depending on how he performs. There are a lot of ‘what-if’s to this scenario, but it’s not too far-fetched to assume the Toronto Maple Leafs will lose half their blueline this summer. They’re going to have to find a way to replenish their depleted defensive prospects. They can’t just draft defensemen with every draft pick in June.

Plus, did I mention he’s a hometown boy? They tend to do pretty well in Toronto (Nazem Kadri, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, just to name a few). The Toronto Maple Leafs also seem to have some luck with Erie Otters alumni in Brown and Dermott. A chance to play close to home, and for the team he grew up cheering for, could prove to be very persuasive in the end.

Summary

As of right now, no one is sure where Raddysh will sign. If they’re smart, all 31 NHL teams should be knocking on his door with contract offers this summer.

More from Editor In Leaf

It’s refreshing to be talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs signing a defense-first minded player. All we ever hear these days are about risky offensive defensemen. There’s certainly a fit here in Toronto, but there may be a better one elsewhere.

I just really hope he doesn’t sign with the Canucks.

All statistics were sourced from the Ontario Hockey League, Prospect-Stats.com, and Hockey DB.

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