New Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Darren Raddysh was brought in likely more for his offensive game and what he can do on the power play with his big shot than his ability in his own zone.
He doesn’t think that’s a fair view of the kind of player he is, though, and on Monday he tried to set the record straight.
“I think I’m a good two-way defenceman,” Raddysh said, speaking to the Toronto media for the first time since he was first traded to the Maple Leafs by the Tampa Bay Lightning. “I like to take pride in my own end first and I like to take pride in not getting scored on and making sure we’re doing the right things and playing the right way, and the offence will come after that.
“So, there’s a lot of things to my game that contribute to being a two-way player, and I think that’s something that I like to do the most.”
Raddysh was acquired by Toronto as part of a sign-and-trade deal with Tampa that saw the Leafs trade a fifth-rounder for him before signing him to an eight-year, $68-million contract.
Raddysh enjoyed a breakout season last season with the Lightning, racking up 22 goals and 70 points.
This productivity was an outlier in his NHL career, as he had never scored more than six goals or 37 points before last season.
As the 30-year-old Raddysh explained, his leap was more a result of greater opportunity than anything.
“I think just getting the opportunity to play,” he said. “I was in and out of the lineup, and when I was playing, I was playing as the seventh defenceman. So, just getting the opportunity to play on power play and just kind of getting to show my stuff and show what I can do is probably one of the biggest things from this last year.”
Raddysh will likely get plenty of more chances to show what he can do playing for his hometown Leafs next season.