Darren Raddysh has already found a home in Toronto, and Darren Pang thinks the Maple Leafs got themselves a real player.
TheLeafsNation posted Pang's breakdown of the move on Thursday, and the praise was blunt. "He's a really good defenceman, and he's got great character," Pang said.
That line lands harder when you look at what Toronto is working with. The Maple Leafs finished last season 32-36-14 for 78 points, dead last in the Atlantic Division.
They also closed the year on a seven-game losing streak, dropping their finale 1-3 in Ottawa. A defenceman who can actually move the puck was not optional. It was necessary.
Raddysh's numbers explain why Pang is talking him up. He put up 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points across 73 games this season, a massive total for a rearguard.
Ten of those goals came on the power play, with 16 more assists on the man advantage. Twenty-six power play points from the back end is not a bottom-pairing stat line.
Jim Hiller inherits a defenceman built for his top power play unit
New head coach Jim Hiller was hired on June 17, and he now walks into a locker room with a legitimate power play weapon on the blue line already in place.
Raddysh carries a plus-21 rating on the season, a number that stands out on a team that finished with a minus-46 goal differential overall. That gap tells its own story.
His cap hit sits at just $975,000. For a defenceman who produced 70 points, that is not a contract, that is closer to finding a first-round pick in a bargain bin.
He is not walking into an easy stretch, though. Over his last 10 games, Raddysh managed just 3 points, and over his final 5, only 1 assist.
Cooling off before a franchise shift is normal. Whether that dip carries into training camp is the part nobody can answer yet.
Pang did not hedge on the character piece either, and in a room that lost seven straight to end the year, that intangible might matter as much as the points.
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So where does Hiller actually slot him? Top pairing minutes, second power play unit, or straight into the top four from day one? Toronto has not tipped its hand.
Is Darren Raddysh the steal Maple Leafs fans have been waiting for?
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