Mitch Marner says he does not think about Toronto's offseason and then singled out Darren Raddysh

Toronto gave Darren Raddysh an over 8x pay raise after his 70-point breakout. Mitch Marner just praised the work ethic behind that $68M bet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a slew of offseason changes to not only make themselves competitive now, but set themselves up better in the future. They addressed serious needs on the blueline and in the bottom-six, while adding a brand new front office and coaching system that is expected to add more excitement - and success.

One of the biggest additions both financially and in terms of star power was the acquisition of Darren Raddysh. After a 70-point breakout campaign, the Toronto native found himself home again to the tune of an eight-year, $68-million contract.

Marner knew Raddysh before the $8.5M contract and watched the long road that came before it

While that move caught the attention of the hockey world, it also caught the attention of Mitch Marner. Despite your opinions on his tenure, Marner was a key part of the lineup for nearly a decade, but has since moved on with the Vegas Golden Knights.

But he isn't ignorant to the news that floats around the league, and with Raddysh's signing, Marner admitted he has to give the Maple Leafs kudos for adding him - even if he doesn't really bother with his old team anymore:

I obviously see all that stuff. Don't think very much. I'm just thinking about our team and what we've got to do to be the best we can be. I know Raddy quite well, I'm very happy for him. He's worked his butt.

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Obviously Marner is not scouring the depths of social media to find news about the Maple Leafs, but he's genuinely happy to see Raddysh get his bag, especially after fighting his way through the AHL to finally land a spot with the Lightning.

Marner and Raddysh would be quite familiar with each other, as both men were rivals in the OHL - Raddysh with the Erie Otters and Marner with the London Knights, so their history goes back quite a bit, though it's nice to see Marner keeping an eye on a player he feels deserves what he got.

Marner's praise speaks to the part of Toronto's $68M gamble statistics can't guarantee

Marner isn't evaluating Chayka's offseason. What he can speak to is Raddysh himself, and that's more useful when Toronto has just committed $68 million to a player whose breakout came unusually late.

Having Marner praise Chayka's decision doesn't really have any affect on whether or not Raddysh is going to succeed, but it does provide a bit of a new light on how the rest of the NHL may be feeling. If Marner is paying attention to the moves Toronto made, then it's likely a lot of other players are too, and while they aren't public - it's a sign that says 'Wow, they actually care about winning.'

It's not a slight on them either - it's just the fact the team has never really made a move to add to the blueline like that and shows they are serious about winning after last year's collapse.

What no spreadsheet can guarantee is whether the habits behind that late-career explosion survive an eight-year payday. Marner's unsolicited praise of how hard Raddysh worked offers at least one piece of evidence on that side of the bet.

Is it going to be an unmitigated success, with another 70-point season for Raddysh on the horizon? No one can truly say, but his presence on the Maple Leafs blueline is enough to get stars talking, and this time it's in a positive light.

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