Maple Leafs Acquire Darren Raddysh in Sign-and-Trade With Lightning

Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday (Jun. 18) evening that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning were finalizing a sign-and-trade involving Darren Raddysh, and on Friday (Jun. 19) morning, the two teams made the deal official.

The Maple Leafs acquired the rights of Raddysh in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2026, and signed him to an eight-year extension.

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

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 19, 2026

Raddysh, who is 30 years old, scored 22 goals and added 48 assists for 70 points through 73 games last season. Throughout his career, he has scored 35 goals and added 108 assists for 143 points through 249 games.

Before last season, Raddysh’s career high in points was 37, and he almost doubled that. It’s always risky to cash in long-term on someone who had a breakout season, but the Maple Leafs seem to believe Raddysh’s campaign wasn’t a one off.

Raddysh was expected to be one of the top free agents this offseason, but he comes off the board before any other team gets a chance to sign him.

According to Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs’ eight-year extension with Raddysh has an $8.5 million annual cap hit.

Sources say that Darren Raddysh's eight-year deal with the #leafs carries a $8.5M AAV.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 19, 2026

This acquisition and signing likely spells the end of Morgan Rielly with the Maple Leafs, but time will tell what other moves they choose to make this offseason, as they try to get back into the playoff picture following a disastrous 2025-26 campaign.

As the 2026-27 season approaches, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news, updates, and more from around the NHL and the hockey world.