What Will Pending UFA Darren Raddysh Make on His Next Contract?

Will the Tampa Bay Lightning be able to keep defenseman Darren Raddysh?

Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Steve Kouleas and Carter Hutton on Wednesday. Pagnotta was asked about defenseman Darren Raddysh and will sign an extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning or go to July 1st.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

Steve Kouleas: “We always have time for our next guest, Sirius XM, NHL Network, Fourth Period Insider, Dave Pagnotta is back, Dave, we covered so many neat storylines in the first hour, including Darren Raddysh. Three points helped turn the game around yesterday. 20 goals, 64 on the year. Career earnings, $4.6 million. He’s going to get more in his bonus and in his first year, next year, my friend. Will it be in Tampa? Welcome.”

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Dave Pagnotta: “Thank you. Yeah, he’s going to cash in quite nicely on his next contract, and well deserved. You saw the incline of his game the last couple of seasons. I don’t think anybody anticipated to get to this level offensively, especially, but it has been on the up, and the opportunity that he’s been given in Tampa to exploit his talents, and we’ll see what the number falls in at. We know that the rough talk is looking at the JJ Moser type of contract. I don’t know if that’s realistic in Tampa, but they’ll continue the conversations.

He will be the top-prize defenseman in the market if he hits July 1 as an unrestricted free agent. Up front, it would be as of now, Alex Tuckh if he goes to July 1, but Raddysh and the Tampa Bay Lightning, were looking around for defensemen as well ahead of the trade deadline, looking for somebody with term that they can add into the mix.

If they’re going to bring Raddysh back, it’s going to be on a lengthier deal, but it would have to obviously make the money work. I don’t think something around  $6 million might work per year on an AAV, but if he does come in, around $4.5 million to $5 million per year might be a little more palatable for the Bolts.”

NHLRumors.com Note: Raddysh is finishing up a two-year deal that carries a $975,000 AAV. So he will be getting a huge bump. Even with the salary cap rising, the Lightning may not be able to pay Raddysh as much as Moser, who signed an eight-year contract extension on December 27, 2025, with an AAV of $6.75 million.

NHL Rumors: Will Darren Raddysh Test Free Agency or Will He Re-Sign?

We know through the years, GM Julien BriseBois has a price and would like to get that player to his price, or that player could leave. But Raddysh has found himself in Jon Cooper’s system. Can he do that elsewhere?

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