Sooner or later, once the Dylan Larkin saga cools down, the Detroit Red Wings will need to start thinking ahead.
The 2026 NHL free agency class is uninspiring at best and downright atrocious at worst. Besides a few names like Alex Tuch, there aren't a lot of needle movers on the free agency front.
One player due for the biggest payday of his career is Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh.
The 30-year-old defenseman just had the breakout of a lifetime, scoring 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points with the Lightning. This explosion nearly doubles his old career high from 2024-25, where he managed six goals and 31 assists for 37 points.
Raddysh is projected to sign a multi-year deal valued around $9M a year or more. Despite his glowing point totals and late-blooming breakout, it's hard to justify a contract of that size with this current iteration of the Red Wings.
Defense not a priority this offseason for Red Wings
First and foremost, it should go without saying that defense is not a priority at this current junction. The Red Wings need to secure a center as soon as they possibly can to replace Larkin and the growing void on the second line. Raddysh is not a center.
The current top-four defensive makeup of Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Ben Chiarot and Justin Faulk is a little too crowded for Raddysh, as well. Raddysh spent last season on the top pairing for the Lightning alongside J.J. Moser. There's a zero percent chance he would slot in on the top pairing in place of Moritz Seider.
This leaves the second pairing, which is already occupied by Justin Faulk. The Red Wings paid a hefty price to acquire Faulk during the trade deadline, so it's extremely unlikely they'd move their acquisition to a bottom pairing role.
It's even unlikelier that the Red Wings sign a defenseman to a $9M contract just to slot him in on the bottom pairing.
Raddysh's numbers offer a risky gamble
Even if the Red Wings somehow move mountains to acquire Raddysh, there's still the unanswered question about Raddysh's 2025-26 season. It's hard to imagine that a 30-year-old defenseman can replicate this level of production, much less do it on a new team.
What happens if Raddysh regresses back to a 30-35 point median? That kind of production isn't worth $9 million. It's entirely possible that this gamble can (and will) backfire on any team that manages to lock him down long term. Sure, he'll provide some bonus production early on, but what happens when he grows older? Can teams expect Raddysh to put up those kinds of numbers when he's 35 or older?
It just doesn't make sense for the Red Wings at this point in time. Best to let another team take that risk.
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