Boston Bruins
Raddysh had a breakout season on Tampa’s D corps, scoring 22 goals and 70 points.
Darren Raddysh scored 22 goals this past season with Tampa. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
There are several avenues that Sweeney and Co. could explore this offseason in hopes of shoring up a D corps that both took on far too much water in their own zone and failed to generate offense down the other end of the frozen sheet.
The easiest option for the Bruins is to simply open up their wallet and sign an impact D-man once the free-agency feeding frenzy begins on July 1.
Rasmus Andersson’s established pedigree as a top-four stalwart and minutes-muncher should make him one of the top options on the market.
But, Tampa Bay blueliner Darren Raddysh might offer a greater upside for a Bruins team in need of a game-changer in that segment of the roster.
Of course, targeting a 30-year-old skater with a much-smaller body of work like Raddysh also presents plenty of risk for a Bruins team that can’t be encumbered by several burdensome contracts if it wants to cultivate a sustainable contending roster.
So should the Bruins be in the mix for one of the more coveted free agents on the market?
Let’s weigh the pros and cons of Boston targeting Raddysh.
Pro: Raddysh would check off several boxes for Bruins
There’s a valid case to be made that the Bruins’ D corps stands as the most concerning area of Boston’s roster — be it for next season or expanding into more of a long-term outlook.
Boston does have a few solid stalwarts in place with Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov. But, the absence of a true, impact skater behind McAvoy was glaring this past season, while Lindholm is set to turn 33 in January.
Whereas Boston’s pipeline of young talent has several intriguing forwards like Fraser Minten, James Hagens, Dean Letoureanu, Will Zellers, and Cooper Simpson, the same can’t be said about the Bruins’ next wave of D-men — especially on the right side.
With Boston in immediate need of a fix on the right side, Raddysh would assuage several flaws that have plagued Boston in recent years.
Raddysh picked a great time to string together a career year just ahead of free agency.
The 30-year-old skater, who only played his first 82-game season in the NHL in 2023-24, made the most of the added reps afforded to him this past year.
In 73 games, Raddysh scored 22 goals and 70 points — good for third and seventh, respectively, among NHL blueliners this past year.
Skating on a potent power-play unit orchestrated by Nikita Kucherov had its perks for Raddysh, who scored 10 goals and 26 total points on the man advantage.
But, Raddysh was far from just an offensive-minded weapon for Jon Cooper, with Raddysh averaging 22:42 of ice time per game for a Bolts team that played without Victor Hedman for a significant stretch of the year.
A look under the hood at Raddysh’s numbers also paints the picture of a player who wasn’t a liability in his own end.
In Raddysh’s 1,228 minutes of 5-on-5 reps, Tampa outscored opponents, 71-49, while the Bolts also held a sizable advantage in expected goals, 67.4 to 50.65, over that same stretch.
Darren Raddysh has promising underlying numbers across the board, even if his offensive production could be due for some regression. Data Card via HockeyStats.com.
If Raddysh’s breakout season is not an outlier, he’d shore up several concerning flaws on Boston’s roster.
Beyond stabilizing a second D pairing, Raddysh’s knack for hammering the puck from the blue line and generating offense would be a welcome sight on a Boston roster that ranked 18th in the NHL this past year in goals by defensemen (36).
Handing the keys to Raddysh on the power play could also be a positive domino effect, lightening the load on McAvoy and freeing him up elsewhere to serve as more of a physical rover — similar to his role on Team USA.
Of course, the most pressing question in terms of Boston’s pursuit of Raddysh is whether or not this past year was a flash in the pan.
Con: Raddysh’s age and limited sample size invite risk
As much as Raddysh’s profile might appeal to a team like Boston, he won’t come cheap.
According to AFP Analytics, Raddysh is projected to sign a six-year contract this offseason worth a projected $8.037 million annual cap hit — and that might undersell the veteran’s total payout given the number of suitors that he’ll likely attract this summer.
The Bruins — currently operating with a projected $15.4 million in cap space — have the means to dole out a hefty deal for Raddysh.
But, after already feeling the sting of the Elias Lindholm contract, the Bruins could put themselves in a serious bind if Raddysh doesn’t live up to the billing as a true impact D-man.
Beyond the fact that Raddysh is set to turn 31 years old in February 2027, the Ontario native isn’t exactly a proven commodity beyond this past season.
Prior to that 2023-24 season, where he carved out a third-pairing role in Tampa, Raddysh appeared in just 21 total games in the NHL split across two seasons from 2021-23.
His previous career highs in goals and points in a season before this past year were six tallies and 37 points.
The case can be made that Raddysh is just a late bloomer who is now just hitting his prime and can still drive play at a high rate for the next three or four seasons.
In some respects, the Bruins would bank on him serving as their version of J.D. Martinez, who joined the Red Sox in 2018 at 30 years old and continued to carry his delayed peak performance into his early 30s.
Even if Raddysh is more of a 50-point regular instead of what he showcased this past season, that would seemingly be commensurate value for what an $8-9 million average annual value is in this shifting market.
But if 2025-26 was just the perfect storm for Raddysh and he regresses into more of a third-pairing option, it would be disastrous for the Bruins or any other club that puts pen to paper on a new deal.
Pro: Boston won’t have to deal away assets
As much of a risk as a pricey contract for Raddysh might be, any alternative option for Boston will also sting — especially if the Bruins are going to have to part with valuable assets via trade in order to bring in another capable top-four option.
Even if the Bruins were to acquire a younger, unproven blueliner like Simon Nemec or Olen Zellweger (a left-shot option), Boston would likely have to give up first-round picks or blue-chip prospects in order to complete said trade.
And, if it’s more established D-men like St. Louis’ Colton Parayko or Vancouver’s Filip Hronek, the price will be even higher.
If the Bruins are looking to accelerate their current contention window and address a key need —without having to sell the farm in the process — signing Raddysh would check off all those boxes.
And even if the Bruins’ top brass were still on the prowl for a hockey trade or were willing to give up picks or prospects for the right deal, they could flip those same assets for help up front, rather than allocate them for a top-four defenseman.
The Bruins may not have the stomach/outright assets to acquire BOTH a top-six forward and top-four blueliner via trade this summer.
But, they could check off both boxes by signing one in free agency and pooling those trade chips toward another top-flight target.
The verdict?
At initial glance, Raddysh feels like a strong fit for a Bruins team that both needs to upgrade its D corps, but also has several other pressing needs to account for over the next few months.
The only issue? A player like Raddysh is going to be coveted by several other teams this offseason, which could cause a substantial bidding war — especially with another top-free-agent target in Andersson having a shaky postseason with Vegas.
Boston might like Raddysh, but committing $9 million or more for a player who does have some boom-or-bust qualities to his game is a hefty risk for a Bruins team that is already starting to feel the squeeze from some ill-advised contracts like Lindholm.
If Boston can find a way to clear a few contracts off their books, taking a swing on a player who could be a late bloomer (and a significant upgrade) in Raddysh might be an appealing option.
But, as currently constituted, Boston doesn’t have the same leeway as other teams to just hand Raddysh $8-10 million per season.
For now, expect them to kick the tires on said player. But, a trade might be a more realistic option for a Bruins team that has to be bold this offseason.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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