Tampa made Darren Raddysh an offer and Toronto has the cap space to top it

Darren Raddysh's next contract offer has been revealed as the Lightning reportedly presented the defender with a five-year deal that shows Toronto could outbid them.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would love to keep Darren Raddysh around however reports show that he could be earning up to 10x the amount he made on his last deal. Dave McCarthy reports that the Lightning have already offered him a five-year, $5.75-million AAV deal, and with that we can say the Maple Leafs can certainly afford to outbid them.

Raddysh, 30, exploded offensively this season with 22 goals and 70 points while also adding a plus-21 and 69 blocks so he wasn't just a one-trick pony. He's quickly gone from solid two-way player to elite offensive defenceman in one season and he's about to earn a huge raise.

Reports show that Raddysh could potentially earn upwards of $9-million per season on his next deal, which would be a staggering increase from the $955,000 he made on his last deal.

Darren Raddysh's first deal from the Lightning comes in well below reported salary

There's no way he is going to settle for anything less than a huge payday, and he very well could be headed to free agency. Tampa would love to keep him though, and it seems like they have presented their first offer to the defender.

Dave McCarthy reports that the Lightning have offered a five-year, $28.75-million contract which would be a big increase no doubt, but a far cry from the previously reported $9-million:

My understanding is that the Tampa Bay Lightning's opening offer to Darren Raddysh a few weeks ago was five years at $5.75M AAV.

Will be interesting to see where this goes.

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Suffice to say, if Raddysh is going to continue doing this level of production then a deal at that rate is a complete train robbery by the Lightning. But if he believes he's worth more money, then he has all the power to play hardball with Tampa and ask for more money/incentives/etc.

Maple Leafs in the perfect position to outbid the Lightning and bolster their blueline

But that means that other teams who have a boatload of cap can offer bigger deals and give Raddysh what he feels he's worth.

One team in that position is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They have roughly $22-million in cap space and only really need to re-sign a couple names like Nick Robertson and Matias Maccelli. On top of that, they may have Morgan Rielly's contract off the books which opens up even more space.

For argument's sake, let's say Rielly is indeed traded and they get his $7.5-million off the books. If they were to pursue Raddysh first, that gives them $30-million to work with. At that rate, you can offer Raddysh a deal worth $9-million for the next four or five years and still have room for other players.

Toronto desperately needs a puck-moving defender who isn't afraid to let shots fly from the point and actively run their power-play. Raddysh fits all of that and with Auston Matthews wanting to see real action from the front office, what better way than by giving him a piece to elevate him and change things for good?

Unless the team decides to put in a wild offer sheet for someone like Jason Robertson that is accepted, or trade for a player who makes $9 or $10-million already, then they can afford Raddysh.

It might not be a bad idea to overpay a bit and give the Lightning pause about matching, because Toronto could very well end up with the exact piece they need.

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