New Delhi, June 19 -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have landed a top offensive defenseman by acquiring Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a sign-and-trade deal. The move takes one of the best available blue-liners off the free agent market ahead of the July 1 opening.

Though the compensation sent to Tampa Bay and the full contract terms with Toronto have not been released. Multiple reports indicate Darren Raddysh will sign an eight-year contract with an average annual value of more than $8 million. At age 30, the right-shot defenseman is expected to bring immediate top-pair and power-play impact to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Darren Raddysh broke out in a big way last season. He set personal bests with 22 goals, 48 assists, and 70 p...