Much of the talk around the Toronto Maple Leafs' modest start has centered on their newcomers, and Darren Raddysh is among the names drawing the most attention.
The offensive defenseman signed an eight-year deal carrying a cap hit of $8.5 million per season, and through three games he has one assist, no goals and a team-worst minus-three rating.
Toronto knew what it was getting with Raddysh, after the 30-year-old blueliner recorded a career breakout season a year ago, scoring 22 goals and adding 48 assists for 70 points in 73 games. The performance earned the Caledon, Ontario native a major payday and a return home to play for his hometown team.
Darren Raddysh still looking to find his timing with the Leafs
However, the offensive-minded defenseman has brought risk early on this season. Raddysh has been seemingly given the green light to jump into the play and help Toronto score whenever he can, but the team needs to find a proper balance so that a failed scoring chance doesn't turn into a goal against.
Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators was a clear example of this. With about seven and a half minutes left in the second period, John Tavares threaded a pass through Senators captain Thomas Chabot and found Raddysh in stride on a fast break. With Ottawa's Jordan Spence closing in, Raddysh fired a quick slap shot, but Linus Ullmark made the save. It would have been a thrilling first goal as a Maple Leaf, however, Ottawa quickly responded by turning the other way.
Michael Amadio ties it after Ullmark's save on Raddysh pic.twitter.com/0H9V4lxZUA
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 4, 2026
Chabot collected the puck off the save and sent Tim Stützle behind the Toronto defense, with only Morgan Rielly left to beat. Michael Amadio joined the rush to create a two-on-one, and Stützle's slick pass set him up to bury the tying goal past Sergei Bobrovsky. The goal changed the momentum of the game and from that point on, Ottawa was dominate, and Toronto looked lost defensively while being outshot 16 to five in the final period.
The Maple Leafs brought in defensively minded head coach Jim Hiller after a season in which their offense finished in the middle of the pack, but the bigger concern was a defense that ranked second-worst in the NHL at 3.60 goals against per game. Through three games, the defense has looked better, allowing just seven goals. The offense, however, has slowed, scoring six goals and failing to top two in any game.
The schedule has not helped their case as Toronto has faced the defending Eastern Conference champion Montreal Canadiens, along with teams backed by standout goaltenders in the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin and Ottawa's Ullmark.
While many are worried about Raddysh's minus-3 and his defensive efforts, the bigger concern is his lack of production, with just one assist and no goals. Toronto's power play has also been quiet, scoring just two goals on 11 opportunities. Raddysh's lone point came on a power-play assist to fellow newcomer Kirill Marchenko in the second game against the Islanders, though Marchenko did most of the work himself, finishing with a slick backhand.
Last season, 44 of Raddysh's 70 points came at even strength, the seventh-most among NHL defensemen and ahead of Quinn Hughes, Matthew Schaefer and Erik Karlsson. He will need to start generating and finishing chances at even-strength as he did a year ago.
His teammates will need to help as well as Raddysh is no longer playing alongside elite finishers like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. The hope in Toronto is that Auston Matthews, William Nylander and the rest of the top of the lineup, who will regularly share the ice with him, begin converting on their chances.
With two losses in their first three games, the Maple Leafs are hoping for a quick turnaround, and it is still early for the team to adjust.
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