Darren Raddysh trade grades: Who won Lighting and Maple Leafs sign-and-trade?
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Darren Raddysh went from a defenseman known for good blueline work and around 30 points for two seasons... to a blueliner who scored 22 times and totaled 70 points in a breakout fifth year.
That all came with unrestricted free agency looming. And now per reports, he's going to be a member of the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade that will make him one of the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL.
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Will it be worth it after one giant year with the Lightning? Will he continue all that production? And what's the return for Tampa Bay? Let's dive in with trade grades.
Maple Leafs and Lightning trade details
Lightning get: A "late-round pick"
Maple Leafs get: D Darren Raddysh, who signs an eight-year deal worth over $8 million AAV
Maple Leafs trade grade
Ehhh, I don't know about this one. They obviously don't give up much to acquire Raddysh trade-wise, but contract-wise? It feels extremely risky to hand a defenseman THAT kind of money after he had THAT kind of year before hitting free agency. And, hey, maybe what we saw from Raddysh means he's a 70-point-a-season defenseman, and John Chayka will look extremely smart locking him up for eight years at that level of money.
Me? I worry about a one-year breakthrough earning over $8 million AAV. GRADE: C
Lightning trade grade
It felt like they weren't going to keep Raddysh anyway -- they've locked up their blue line for a fair amount of money between Victor Hedman, J.J. Moser, Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh -- so to get something back and perhaps avoid overspending on Raddysh feels like a win of sorts. GRADE: B+
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Darren Raddysh trade grades for Lighting and Maple Leafs sign-and-trade