GM John Chayka discusses the sign-and-trade acquisition of defenseman Darren Raddysh (eight years, $8.5 million AAV) from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a fifth-round draft selection in 2026.
Darren Raddysh took a little longer to develop, then broke out last year at age 30. What makes you comfortable that he will be able to continue along these lines, to the extent that you have given him such a big contractual commitment?
Chayka: I think Darren is a unique case.
I was able to track him through his time in Erie. We had Dylan Strome there when I was with the Coyotes. I was able to see Darren firsthand in practice, around the rinks, and in games. He was always a very talented player and a good player. He performed very well. He was a big part of that club. When I was in Arizona, we were trying to sign him coming out of junior. He ended up getting an American Hockey League contract and became a very good AHL defenseman. And then he obviously earned it at the NHL level.
These are the types of stories you like. He is certainly a late bloomer in terms of offensive production. For us, we really saw his career as a continual progression. While, from a points perspective last year, there was a large jump, we had a lot of confidence that the fundamentals of his game had consistently improved, and there were several jumps that led to this.
The point production is part of any player’s value. The part of the value we were most focused on was his ability to impact the game holistically. He is a player who plays up against top competition and does quite well. He is a player who breaks the puck out well. He is a player who can join the rush and supplement offense. He transitions well. He defends the blue line well.
When you start adding up all of the elements that go into the end result of good production, the robust play of all of that gave us a lot of confidence that he is the type of defenseman we haven’t had in this organization for a long time.
For us, it is an aggressive move. It is not without risk, of course, but we just felt that, given the stage we are at and what he brings to the table, it was worth pursuing.
You’ve added a couple of defesnemen in the last week. How do you feel about the changes you’ve made on the backend and how things are coming together with the blue line so far?
Chayka: It has been a process. We are still evaluating everything. Coming in, I thought it was an area that we needed to improve on. We’ve got some world-class forwards, and when you get the puck in their hands with time and space, it will be a good result for us.
We have been really focused on it and disciplined around it. We continue to look at the market to see how we can best shape our D for the next year. As we sit here today with Darren as part of that, hopefully, there is some better health from some veteran players. We think it is a pretty good group and a group that will give us a chance.
Again, it is something we continue to evaluate.
Tampa expressed interest in retaining Raddysh. How or when did you get the sense that maybe he would be someone who could be available? How quickly did it come together?
Chayka: On our side, it has always been a process for an offseason plan. Any time you go through that, there are things outside of your control. Certainly, free agency is only available for those who make it there. You never know. You have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Obviously, with Darren and his background, as a top potential free agent, we felt very strongly about Plan A. It came together pretty quickly, but the opportunity to secure, in our opinion, a top free agent is an organizational win.
It speaks to the quality of ownership. I think Ed Rogers has clearly established himself as a premier owner in all of sports. You have seen what they’ve been able to attract and do with the Blue Jays. I think it comes down to his reputation for how he treats his players and their families. He is very passionate about that. That was a big part of Darren’s interest, ultimately, in Toronto.
I’d like to thank Julien BriseBois and the Tampa Bay Lightning for being collaborative. Obviously, they were able to secure an asset. We were able to get a defenseman for eight years, whom we feel very strongly about.
Raddysh could help significantly on the power play. How much of a chance have you had to examine the power play? What could he bring to it?
Chayka: Those are the easy ones. At a surface level, the shot is a weapon. As you are kind of putting together a roster, if you have a left shot on the flank and a right shot up top that can bomb it, it is an obvious strength. It is just really hard to put those things together at times. When it does come together as a manager, it is really appealing.
You are having conversations with the coaches and getting their wishlist. You try to satisfy that as much as you can, but it is hard. In this case, we do think it is a perfect fit.
That is one of Darren’s assets, and it is a big and important one. I think his fundamental play maybe doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. This is a player who really moves the needle at five-on-five. He is a smart player and a competitive player. He plays the game the right way. He’s a quiet leader. Those are all things, in addition to the power play, that are super, super important to us.
Does Raddysh have any no-trade or no-move protection in his new contract? What is your philosophy there? Some have felt the Leafs handed out that protection too freely in the recent past.
Chayka: Yes, Darren chose to come to Toronto and did so before free agency, so he wants to be here. As a result, free agents have certain options, and there is a value to that decision. We provided some level of trade protection commensurate with that.
There are different parts of the contract. There is term. There is dollar. There is signing bonus. There is trade protection. There are things around that. To me, it is a holistic picture. If you want to land the best free agent, you have to have some level of flexibility on those toggles to land in a place where you feel comfortable with the combination of those things.
There is some level of trade protection if you’re getting a player of this calibre. All things being equal, of course, you’d prefer to have the maximum flexibility and optionality, but again, you have to look at the entire picture when assessing that.
After addressing the blue line and goaltending, what comes next for you? There is a lot of speculation about Matthew Knies and what you may or may not be doing with him. Is there anything to that?
Chayka: Regarding the first part, I wouldn’t assume anything about any of the parts of our roster. We are still really early in the offseason. We will evaluate everything. We are in a better place than we were yesterday, but certainly, we are not where we want to be still.
On any type of trade speculation, I think I was pretty direct on Matthew Knies in my opening press conference. The statement still stands. In my job as GM, we will evaluate everything, but that is the job.
Again, the idea that we are going to improve the roster by moving a top young player… I mean, anything is possible, but I guess it is not probable. No doubt, I think it makes for good writing and interest for people, but as we think about our team and how we can improve, that is a tough bar to hurdle.
You appear to be operating rather quickly and stealthily. Is that how you like to operate, or is that just how it has gone this week?
Chayka: I would say information is the capital we all trade on. Having that information stay internal is an important tenet of any great organization. Yes, we are valuing the ability to execute trades or signings or whatever decisions we make in a manner and format that suits us.
I appreciate that there is a fan base that wants to know and would love to get as much information as possible. Certainly, when there is a time and place when we can be honest and forthright, we will do that. As we think about a competitive league where all teams are trying to do similar things, again, in this instance, it was a real advantage for us to be able to get this done.
In terms of urgency, I have a burning desire to win and an urgency to get better. We are not in a rush. We will not do anything that we don’t think is judicious or well thought out. But we also know that being decisive can be an advantage, too. If there is an opportunity to improve the group, I am not going to sit around and wait for something perhaps better.
When we feel like we have something we want to execute on and are convinced about — and we’ve done our work, and we’ve got a decision-making process that allows us to make decisions definitively — we will execute. That is what we did here.
How are you looking at the situation at center? Is it a position you think you’ll add to in the coming days?
Chayka: We definitely see it as an area of opportunity. We continue to evaluate a lot of things. Probably three-quarters of the team in the league would like to improve their center position. I think it is obvious that it is something that would make a lot of sense, but we also feel like there are some players in our pipeline who are interesting as well. We want to make sure we are also considering internal candidates as we canvass different options.
You have been to the Marlies games. What sort of an impression has Ben Danford made on you? How close is he to making an impact at the NHL level?
Chayka: I have been really impressed with the entire Marlies operation. Ryan Hardy and John Gruden have been great leaders and have done a great job. Any time you get that level of winning success, it just helps develop players.
On Danford specifically, these are always great stories when you have no involvement. Good selection. Proper development process with the development coaches. High-character kid who is doing everything he can to maximize his abilities.
He really understands his role and what he brings to the table. He is committed to it. I’ve been really impressed. He is on a great path. It will be a process with him. We have a lot of great options now on the right side of our defense. We will bring him up the right way. At the right time, when afforded the opportunity, he certainly projects to be an impact player at the NHL level eventually.
