The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading towards retooling their roster for next season, as the first year without Mitch Marner has not gone the way many expected. Brad Treliving will need to get creative as the Maple Leafs do not have a lot of assets or cap space.
Nick Kypreos reports on Darren Raddysh
The Maple Leafs have four pending free agents, while Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson are becoming restricted free agents. One player that the Maple Leafs could target is Darren Raddysh. NHL insider Nick Kypreos stated in the Toronto Star, “If there is a team that needs him more than Toronto, please let me know. He’s a right-handed shot with a bomb and would be a perfect upgrade for an ongoing issue on their power-play.”
As Kypreos noted, the Maple Leafs could use Raddysh in a big way. With Chris Tanev out of the lineup and uncertainty on the right side, Raddysh could provide some much-needed help. Raddysh is also a Toronto native, which could help the Leafs management staff in persuading him to join the Leafs. This season, he has had the best season of his career, and it is not even close. In 49 games, he has registered 52 points, including 17 goals, which surpasses his point total of 37 from last season.
Darren Raddysh potential new contract
Raddysh has earned a huge raise, as he hasn't cracked an AAV of $1M in his five-year career. On the Real Kyper and Bourne podcast, they discussed a potential range for Raddysh, mentioning, “What’s he gonna cost?” Kypreos asked Justin Bourne. “He’s 29, so that helps you. I don’t know, $5M, $6M a year?” was Bourne’s response. “Ok. No problem. All day long,” said Kypreos. With the pending free agents coming off the books, this could very well be a contract the Maple Leafs could afford to pay. The Leafs will then need to discuss the possibility of moving Morgan Rielly, as they will need to make other moves to add to their forward core.
The Maple Leafs should inquire about Darren Raddysh heading into the summer and the possibility of bringing him on board. Raddysh could make the Maple Leafs better in different categories, including the power play, which has struggled at times this season.