Apr 7, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) is seen in a game agains the Ottawa Senators during the first period at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Keito Newman-Imagn Images
Apr 7, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) is seen in a game agains the Ottawa Senators during the first period at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Keito Newman-Imagn Images
Playing for a team one has followed since childhood is a common dream, and Darren Raddysh achieved that dream when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, June 19. The Toronto native was traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.
Leafslatest on X shared a screenshot of tweets posted and retweeted by Raddysh about the Maple Leafs in 2013, when he was just 17 years of age. He has been a lifelong fan of the Toronto-based franchise after being born in the area on February 18, 1996.
“Darren Raddysh’s old tweets from when he was a kid watching the Maple Leafs are absolutely gold. He really is just one of us, living out his childhood dream,” they wrote in the caption of their X post.
Notably, the 30-year-old defenseman was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of this year after Raddysh's contract with the Lightning was to run out.
Instead, they moved Raddysh to Toronto after he signed an 8-year extension with Tampa Bay, with contract details yet to be released.
“I couldn't be happier to be joining a great team, a great group of players, and I'm excited to be here for eight years and play for the team I grew up watching,” Raddysh said, per NHL.
As a lifelong fan and Toronto native, it's no surprise that Raddysh was elated to join the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka gave his thoughts on the move.
“It came together pretty quickly, but the opportunity to secure, in our opinion, a top free agent is an organizational win,” Chayka said about Raddysh’s sudden signing, per NHL.
Raddysh's move to the Maple Leafs comes after an impressive run with the Lightning.
Darren Raddysh’s path from AHL journeyman to NHL defenseman
Darren Raddysh made it to the NHL in 2021 after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning. He had spent four seasons in the American Hockey League from 2017 to 2021 with two teams, the Rockford IceHogs and the Hartford Wolf Pack.
In his first two seasons with the Lightning, Raddysh played 21 matches and scored three points (1G / 2A). He appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2022-23 season, registering a goal and an assist in six games.
The slow start got him sent to their AHL-affiliate Syracuse Crunch for two stints in two seasons.
But the 2023-24 season was a breakthrough for Raddysh in his NHL career with 33 points (6G / 27A) in 82 games. After quite a similar next season in numbers, he came into his own with Tampa Bay in the last year.
Raddysh turned into one of the top offensive defenseman in the 2025-26 season, scoring 70 points (22G / 48A) in 73 games.
Across four playoff seasons for the Lightning, he managed to score four points, including two goals and two assists in 20 games.
For this reason, Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka called him a “late bloomer” regarding his offensive play in the NHL.
Will Darren Raddysh channel his inner fandom for the franchise and help them win the Stanley Cup after 50 years next season? Give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Surjo Ray